As the debate on the National Coffee Amendment Act 2024, which aims to integrate coffee activities into the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries and abolish the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA), I was left with a rallying call . . It is a call to Ugandans to drink more coffee. According to UCDA, domestic coffee consumption is still only about three to five percent of total annual production.

UCDA updates show that domestic roasters – we only have 12 – are facing stiff competition from exporters for the best quality coffee. As such, the local market has to make do with cheaper “rejects” or what cannot make it to the international market.

This is one area of ​​regulation that still fails to stop substandard products, even if they are only intended for our local glasses. And we deserve better.

I love good coffee and this country is not without it. Coffee brings people together. Traditionally, friendships were sealed over coffee. Business deals these days are cut to a cup of strong, sweet drink. Last season, we had plenty of time and reason to reflect on the role coffee plays in the lives of Ugandans, including but not limited to contributing a significant amount of money to the national purse. Ordinary citizens built their houses, put their children in school and even built schools in their communities, among other things.

Therefore, rationalization or not, the coffee sector regulator or the national standards body or both owe Ugandans better coffee for our homes and city cafes. Who tastes and tests the things that end up on our supermarket shelves and in our cafe au lait? We’ve improved our packaging and it’s common to see glossy packages of coffee gracing the shelves of various stores, but what they contain is sometimes very disappointing. We cannot sell the world the best and keep the worst to serve our people.

I will draw parallels with my experience buying coffee in Rwanda. You can pick coffee from a random store — I can’t remember where I bought mine. As a tourist looking for a souvenir to take home for friends, I settled for a coffee. When I got it back, I gave it away as planned and even forgot about it for a while until the coffee enthusiasts and connoisseurs I had given it to came back singing its praises. Now, if you don’t shop very carefully here, you might end up with an embarrassing product.

My point is that we should not neglect the quality of the coffee we roast for home consumption because it is similar to export because it is what we offer to foreign and local guests. The same should apply to other products such as tea. We should have another day just to discuss the objectionable things they serve us or are unfortunate enough to buy from the local shop in the name of tea.

Ugandan coffee has been ranked third globally by the Coffee Quality Institute, behind Kenya and Ethiopia. To obtain this grade, the country sample must pass the tests of flavor, aroma, acidity, body, balance and other parameters. However, after successfully transitioning to the international stage, we still allow entities to roast, package and serve coffee domestically, which might make someone turn their nose up. UCDA recognizes it too.

As we aim to keep farmers in business and government export revenue, let us not be like the homeowner who serves visitors the choicest cuts of beef and leaves only scraps or nothing for their children.