The former chief executive of Vision Group, Robert Kabushenga has advised that reviewing of the contentious coffee deal should not be left to only politicians (Parliament) . He says other sector players must also be given space to review it separately.
Kabushenga who is one of the biggest coffee farmers in Uganda, made the proposal on Thursday through his Twitter handle.
He explained that reviewing the deal in question must not be left only to politicians since most of them may not know what necessarily the positive or negative impact of the agreement as compared to the real stakeholders in the sector.
Kabushenga added that the heritage of Ugandans should not be usurped by the foreigners whose interest is not to develop the country or the sector but to profit from repatriations.
“Folks, reviewing the coffee agreement should NOT be left to only political actors. The diverse sector players should be involved in defining what value addition is and what our national interests are before committing to foreigners. Our agency and heritage shd not be usurped. Spread the word!” reads the tweet.
His tweet follows his Tuesday interactions with the Parliamentary Committee on Trade, Tourism and Industries, which is investigating the deal the controversial deal. He told MPs that Parliament’s move to concentrate on matters relating to the coffee sector was a remarkable one, especially to the coffee growers.
“Coffee is one of the biggest promoters of tourism in Uganda. People now want to come to Uganda and see where this coffee is grown. A lot of coffee farmers today are investing in agro-tourism. If you interfere with our ability to attract people to come and see where Ugandan coffee is grown, the alternative business of agro-tourism in coffee will be lost.”
Kabushenga also suggested that coffee sector players should be empowered to explore coffee value addition plans based on stakeholder consultation before the government designs a package of incentives to spur the business.
The agreement that which has sparked mixed reactions was signed in February, by Finance Minister Matia Kasaija and Attorney General Kiwanuka Kiryowa on behalf of the Government, granting Uganda Vinci Coffee Company Limited (UVCC) was represented by Enrica Pinneti, a 10-year tax exemption, and exclusive rights to market and sale of Ugandan coffee.
However Attorney General Kiryowa, who is the chief government legal advisor, and one of the signatories of the coffee deal has continually insisted that the interpretations of the deal seen in the media are incorrect. “In my view, it is either the lack of information [about the deal] or the contract [with UVCC] is not well interpreted.”
The deal also grants UVCC a decade-long tax exemption, free 25 acres of land in Namanve Industrial Park valued at $2m (Shs7.3b), cheaper electricity and water tariffs alongside other generous benefits.
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