BY MATHIUS KAHUNGU
Yet unspecified kilograms of coffee have today been burnt by the Agricultural authorities in Kasese Municipality.
They were burnt in an operation that was conducted by the authorities across all the coffee processing facilities in the urban centre.
Mr. Asanairi Muhindo Bukanywa, the Kasese Municipal Agricultural Officer explained that they decided to burn the said coffee because it was of poor quality and could therefore compromise the prices.
He noted that the operation was thus meant to curtail the traders from buying condemned coffee cherries.
Fire set on coffee beans
Bukanywa advised the farmers to adhere to the government’s advice of picking mature coffee cherries and threatened to deal with those who would not comply.
Mr. Venesio Kighina, a Coffee Trader at Abooki’s Coffee Processing Facility told Messiah Radio that some of the traders still have a habit of processing their coffee when it has not yet dried to the required moisture content, an act he said compromises the quality.
Mr. Moses Balinda Mupanana, the Chairperson of the Traders at Abooki Coffee Processing Facility blamed the middlemen for influencing the farmers to harvest immature coffee cherries.
ENDS