Uganda enters Swiss coffee trade network as farmer traceability becomes the test

Millions of smallholder farmers underpin Uganda’s coffee industry. Connecting that vast network to systems that show where coffee comes from is now a major task as the country pursues a bigger international role. Uganda has joined the Swiss Coffee Trade Association (SCTA), giving it a new platform to engage global traders while it works to make its coffee supply chain more transparent, according to Daily Monitor Uganda.

The admission came during Uganda’s first appearance at the association’s 17th Forum and Dinner, held on Saturday in Montreux, Switzerland. The SCTA brings together more than 40 companies involved in trading green coffee, the beans before roasting. Its discussions cover international trade, sustainability and responsible sourcing, placing Uganda in a network focused on both coffee sales and the conditions under which coffee is produced.

Charlotte Kemigyisha, public relations manager at Uganda’s Ministry of Agriculture, said membership would strengthen the country’s access to international markets and allow direct engagement with important industry players. She described the forum as an opportunity to present Uganda’s efforts to develop its coffee industry to traders, investors and other stakeholders. The delegation’s presentation centred on trust, traceability, sustainability and value addition—efforts to retain more value from coffee.

Market access meets the smallholder challenge

The move comes as Uganda seeks to raise production, improve quality and meet changing international market requirements. State Minister for Agriculture Desire Muhooza told the forum that coffee’s importance reaches beyond export trade into the country’s economy, culture and household livelihoods. She said the government wants Uganda to become a leading coffee origin, supported by investment in farmers, productivity, quality and market development rather than higher volumes alone.

Agriculture Ministry Permanent Secretary Maj Gen David Kasura-Kyomukama identified a practical challenge behind that ambition: building traceability, or the ability to follow coffee back to its source, across a sector sustained by millions of smallholders. He said such systems were essential to a modern and competitive industry. His message linked the work to Uganda’s long-term position in world coffee markets, not simply to satisfying overseas buyers.

“Transparency, sustainability and accountability are fundamental to the future competitiveness of Uganda’s coffee sector,” Kasura-Kyomukama said.

Farmer mapping is the next milestone

Kasura-Kyomukama said Uganda was putting systems in place to support traceability and compliance with international requirements, including the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), the EU’s rules addressing deforestation. He expressed confidence that farmer mapping and registration would make significant progress ahead of implementation timelines. That work is a central part of Uganda’s effort to make a widely dispersed smallholder industry more transparent.

According to an Agriculture Ministry statement issued on Sunday, Uganda was invited to present its coffee-sector development through its Permanent Mission in Geneva and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Muhooza and Kasura-Kyomukama led the delegation alongside Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Vincent Bagiire Waiswa. With admission secured, the next developments to watch are progress on farmer mapping and registration, and how Uganda uses its new trade network to deepen engagement with international buyers and investors.