About UCDA

WHO WE ARE
Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) was established by an Act of Parliament 1991 and amended in 1994, Cap. 325 under the laws of the Republic of Uganda.
UCDA is established as a public Authority and its mandate is to promote and oversee the coffee industry by supporting research, promoting production, controlling the quality and improving the marketing of coffee in order to optimize foreign exchange earnings for the country and payments to the farmers.
It is a body corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal and is capable of suing or being sued in its corporate name.

UCDA Core Values
In pursuit of its mission, UCDA will be guided by a commitment to team work, professionalism, and client focus while promoting integrity, accountability with foresighted leadership as central to its work.
1. Leadership: We lead the industry including the actors, clients and all stakeholders by being at the fore front of the growth of the industry and its prosperity.
2. Integrity: We act with honesty and adhere to fairness in an ethical way.
3. Teamwork: We value working together internally within the organization as well as with the external stakeholders with strong relationships, respect and sharing with all parties with interest in the industry.
4. Client focus: In whatever we do, we put all value chain actors as the center of attention.
5. Accountability: We are will and do account, take responsibility and disclose our activities to all the stakeholder in the industry
6. Professionalism: We maintain and develop our staff to perform their work with competence, dedication, expertise and care.

Objectives of the Authority
The objectives of the Authority are:-
a. To promote good practices in all activities in the coffee value chain;
b. To regulate on-farm and off-farm activities in the coffee value chain;
c. To promote research along the coffee value chain processes and products related to coffee;
d. To promote value addition to coffee including primary processing and establishing soluble coffee plants;
e. To promote access to easy and cheap credit for coffee value chain actors;
f. To promote and monitor the marketing of coffee in order to optimise foreign exchange earnings and payments to farmers;
g. To control the quality of coffee at all stages of the value chain in order to ensure that all coffee meets the standards prescribed by the Authority;
h. To monitor the international price of coffee in order to disseminate the indicative price at which coffee may be traded;
i. To conduct market research for the development of the coffee sub-sector;
j. To promote industries related to coffee;
k. To develop and promote coffee-specific extension services;
l. To coordinate with key stakeholders to organise farmers in the coffee sub-sector;
m. To promote the production and marketing of final products of coffee;
n. To promote domestic consumption of coffee; and
o. To promote coffee tourism in Uganda.

Functions of the Authority
The functions of the Authority are:
a. To regulate all activities within the coffee value chain; on-farm and off-farm coffee activities, coffee roasting and brewing, sales and marketing and the quality of coffee and coffee by-products, including activities of related industries in accordance with the National Coffee Act 2021;
b. To promote, strengthen and register coffee farmers, farmers groups, associations and cooperatives, processors, roasters, brewers, traders, middlemen, persons, or bodies involved in the coffee value chain;
c. To register all coffee exports and assess cess;
d. To promote the formation and development of value chain organisations at the various levels of the coffee value chain;
e. To promote and support research into the coffee industry or processes along the coffee value chain and determine and prescribe through research, the types and varieties of coffee to be cultivated in Uganda, and their management systems
f. To promote and support joint ventures, investments and concessions in the coffee value chain;
g. To prescribe quality control standards for the sale and marketing of coffee, issue indicative prices at which coffee may be traded and protect coffee farmers from exploitation and unfair trade practices;
h. To profile, grade and certify grades and quantities of coffee along the coffee value chain;
i. To license coffee nursery operators, seed garden operators, traders, processors, exporters, management agents, warehouse operators, auctioneers, pulping stations, packers and roasters in accordance with regulations issued by the Minister;
j. To coordinate the provision of coffee-specific extension services in consultation with the Ministry;
k. To advise Government on all coffee subsector policies and reconcile them to the national macroeconomic policies;
l. To liaise with regional and international coffee organisations to promote Uganda’s coffee on the world market and be responsible for the administration of the stamp of the International Coffee Organisation;
m. To organise capacity-building initiatives for coffee farmers, farmer associations, roasters, brewers, technicians, coffee processors and quality controllers;
m. To collect, collate and analyse data, maintain a database on coffee, and document and monitor the coffee sub-sector performance; and
o. To perform any other function as may be directed by the Minister.