The Bishop of Kasana Luwero Diocese, Right Reverend Lawrence Mukasa, has urged Christians and parishes to embrace coffee farming to boost incomes.
On Sunday, Bishop Mukasa made his first pastoral visit to Uganda Martyrs Catholic Parish Kiwoko in Nakaseke district since his consecration and installation as the third Bishop of Kasana Luweero in August 2023.
During his visit, Bishop Mukasa led a mass where he confirmed 189 children into Christianity and officiated the weddings of five couples.
In his homily, he expressed happiness with the progress made by Uganda Martyrs Catholic Parish Kiwoko since its formation 12 years ago.
He announced the creation of a new parish, Butalangu Parish, from Uganda Martyrs Catholic Parish Kiwoko, effective September 1st, to further extend the Word of God.
Bishop Mukasa directed each parish in the Diocese to use available land for coffee farming to reduce reliance on contributions from believers.
He also encouraged each Catholic household to grow coffee to support their families and church activities.
The State Minister for Kampala Metropolitan Affairs, Joseph Kabuye Kyofatogabye, supported the Bishop’s directive, aligning it with the President’s Wealth Creation programme.
He donated funds to purchase coffee seedlings to start a one-acre coffee plantation at St. Denis Catholic Sub Parish Lukumbi.
Sarah Najjuma, the Nakaake District Woman Member of Parliament, emphasized that poverty is a leading cause of divorce and urged newlywed couples to engage in income-generating projects like coffee farming to minimize conflicts at home.
She also highlighted the importance of protecting newly confirmed children from defilement, which is rampant in the district.
Coffee farming is currently a lucrative business. A kilogram of Kiboko sells between 5,500-6,000 Shillings, Arabica parchment sells at 12,500-13,000 Shillings, and the kilogram of drugar coffee (clean) is priced at 11,500-12,000 Shillings.
According to the Uganda Coffee Development Authority, Uganda’s coffee exports in March 2024 amounted to 329,686 60-kilo bags, worth US$64.74 million.
Coffee exports for the twelve months (April 2023 – March 2024) totaled 5.90 million bags worth US$993.63 million, compared to 5.76 million bags worth US$849.86 million in the previous year (April 2022 – March 2023).
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