Gov’t Confirms ‘Strange’ Coffee Pests, Diseases in Buganda, Toro, Bugisu, Sebei Regions

Government has confirmed three Known Pests and diseases affecting the coffee plants, branches leaves and coffee berries.

Over the last few months, the ministry of agriculture, has been receiving reports from different farmer sources across the country complaining of strange pests and diseases affecting their coffee trees.

Farmers have been reporting that their coffee trees were drying up. These initial reports were from the Toro, Buganda (Mubende), Busoga, Bugisu and Sebei sub regions.

According to the State Minister for Agriculture Fred Kyakulaga Bwino, the ministry’s Leadership immediately constituted teams with membership from NARO, UCDA, as well as the ministry headquarters and tasked them to conduct an emergency assessment of the complaints.

Kyakulaga said that the teams returned from, and confirmed that indeed there were three (03) known pests and diseases affecting the coffee plants, branches, leaves and coffee berries.

He noted that the teams observed that there was high severity of coffee berry disease (CBD) and coffee leaf rust (CLR) in Arabica coffee growing areas of Sebei district while the Black Coffee Twig Borer (BCTB) was the major pest in Robusta coffee in Iganga and Namutumba districts.

The Black Coffee Twig Borer is a very small, highly prolific dark and oval-shaped beetle, that is present in all Robusta coffee growing areas in Uganda.

Kyakulaga said “If farmers do not manage the pest in line with the established guidelines, they can lose up to 50% of their crop yield.”

The first signs of infestation are yellowing of the leaves on the twigs. If an affected branch is inspected, tiny entrance holes created by the borer, usually located on the branch underside are evident.

The minister, advised farmers to integrate three main ways of controlling the Black Coffee Twig Borer, which include; cultural, chemical and physical control measures.

“Use phytosanitary measures such as cutting, chopping and burning affected plant parts (twigs, branches or stems), enhance plant nutrition through soil fertility and moisture management by mulching,” he said.

Kyakulaga revealed that his ministry, will work with the District Local Governments to train and sensitize farmers, provide pesticides to farmers with affected coffee trees, among others.