The Parliamentary committee on Tourism Trade and Industry has summoned 21 entities and individuals including Uganda’s minister for Finance, Planning & Economic Development, Hon Matia Kasaija, and Italian investor Ms Enrica Pinetti over the recently signed Coffee agreement that has raised dust.
On February 10, Finance Minister Matia Kasaija signed an $80million Coffee processing contract with Ms Enrica Pinetti, the owner of Uganda Vinci Coffee Company Limited (UVCC), but the deal has been widely criticized with the Speaker of Parliament directing the trade committee to investigate the matter “in public interest.”
Following the speaker’s directive, the office of the chairperson Trade Committee, Hon Mwine Mpaka issued a long list of stakeholders in the Coffee sub-sector who have been invited to appear before the 30-member committee on 25th and 26th April 2022 as investigations into the Coffee Agreement commence.
These include; PS Ministry of Finance Ramathan Ggoobi, Uganda’s Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka, Minister for Trade Industry and Cooperatives Hon Francis Mwebesa, Minister for Agriculture Hon Frank Tumwebaze, and the Solicitor General.
Other entities and agencies invited include; Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA), Uganda Coffee Federation (UCF), Uganda Coffee Quality Trader’s Association, Uganda Coffee Trader’s Alliance, Rwenzori Coffee Trust, Bugisu Cooperative Union, Ankole Coffee Cooperative Union, UNZO Coffee, Uganda Large Scale Farmer’s Association, BUCADEF, UGACOF, KAWACOM, ESCO (U) LTD,
and OLAM (U) LTD.
Under the signed agreement, Pinetti’s Vinci coffee Company is expected to construct a 80M USD Integrated coffee processing plant at Namanve industrial park and also market the finished coffee products in Europe and Middle East. The agreement extends an array of incentives and concessions to the investor in a manner that has been widely criticized as monopolizing Uganda’s Coffee business.
The Ministry of Finance through its PS Ramathan Ggoobi however, insist that the deal was cleared by the Attorney General and was subsequently signed within laws governing the country and that none was broken.
Explaining about the agreement, Ggoobi explained that the agreement will support government in the realization of its coffee production target from the current 7 million bags per year to 20 million bags by 2030.
