Kibaale court orders destruction of impounded immature coffee

The Kibaale Magistrates’ court and Uganda Coffee Development Authority officials in conjunction with security organs on Tuesday,  burnt over ten bags of premature coffee berries impounded recently. The suspects have since been sentenced to jail.

Early this month, officials from UCDA in conjunction with Kibaale police conducted an operation against harvesting and selling, trading in immature coffee

During the operation, Kibaale police detained George  Nsereko, a coffee dealer from Masindi district operating in Kituutu Trading Center, Karama Sub County  accused of being in possession of  over 10 sacks of immature coffee valued at over sh40m

In the same month, during a court session that was presided over by Kibaale grade one court magistrate, His Worship Derrick Kamanzi, remanded Nsereko to Kibaale prisons from April 16 till – Tuesday 30 April. He was later sentenced to community service.

Wickliffe Katulinde, the UCDA’s extension officer –Bunyoro sub-region expressed happiness with the court judgment.

Immature sacks of green berries being burnt outside court premises at Kibaale district headquarters

‘’I’m glad that the Magistrates’ court has ordered the burning of the immature coffee berries. We want to ensure that all acts of illegal harvesting of green coffee are wiped out in Bunyoro. We have continued to hunt for other culprits to ensure they are brought to book,’’ said Katulinde.

Godwin Angalia Kasigwa, the Kibaale Resident District commissioner said the verdict sends a strong warning to both agricultural dealers and farmers to be careful while harvesting coffee.

‘’We want to maintain the quality of our coffee in our region. A kilo of dried coffee is only at sh4000 in Kibaale but other areas have pushed the price to over sh10,000. We shall continue to work as a team to wipe out this practice of harvesting premature coffee’’, said Kasigwa.