The government has launched a massive Arabica Coffee growing in Rukiga district. With population of over 100,726 people, the district that was curved from Kabale district on July 1, 2017 comprises of Kamwezi sub-county with 6,287 households, Kashambya 5,929, Bukinda 2,228, Rwaucucu 5,490, Muhanga town council 2,766, and Mparo town council 906 households, according to the latest records from the office of the Chief Administrative Officer and Physical Planning Department.
However, the majority of locals depend on subsistence farming, which has left them impoverished. Jimmy Baluku, the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) Manager in charge of the Kigezi and Ankole regions, says that the government and Rukiga district local government have partnered with willing farmers under their Umbrella “Kigezi Farmers’ Transformation Initiatives” and have already prepared two million Coffee seedlings ready for planting.
Baluku says that the seedlings have already been analyzed and approved by agriculture experts and are 50 percent quality whereas the rest of the quality will be determined by weather, soils, and care after transplanting Baluku says that in case the mission registers a success, it will increase the number of available 1.7 million coffee farmers in Uganda thus boosting income and employment opportunities.
