The Federation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises has asked the government to renegotiate the coffee deal before its implementation.
The Executive Director for the Federation, John Walugembe said that the deal is a sham project because it does not favor Ugandans and local investors engaging in the coffee trade.
“Uganda is one of the leading producers of coffee on the continent. This is because of the local farmers. what is this investor bringing? This deal wont wont, it will only discourage other people from investing in coffee. Therefore, the government should quash the deal, and seek the stakeholder’s input before it rushes to implement it,” Walugembe said.
Recently the government signed the Shs284 trillion deal to have Pinetti’s Vinci Coffee Company construct an $80 million integrated coffee processing plant at Namanve industrial park and also market the finished coffee products in Europe and the Middle East.
The agreement also extends an array of incentives and concessions to the investor in a manner that has been widely criticized as monopolizing Uganda’s coffee business.