Coffee is a beloved beverage brewed from the roasted and ground seeds of the evergreen coffee plant. We trace its heritage back centuries to the ancient coffee forests on the Ethiopian plateau. Coffee later reached the Arabian peninsula, by the 15th century, coffee was being grown in the Yemeni district of Arabia and by the 16th century it was known in Persia, Egypt, Syria,Turkey and later spread worldwide.
Coffee is one of the three most popular beverages in the world (alongside cocoa and tea), and it is one of the most profitable international commodities. It entails the ability to fine-tune your focus and boost your energy levels. Many people depend on their daily cup of Coffee right when they wake up to get their day started on the right foot.
Coffee traces its origin to a genus of plants known as Coffea. Within the genus there are over 500 genera and 6,000 species of tropical trees and shrubs. Arabica grows best at high altitudes in rich soil, while the heartier Robusta prefers a higher temperature and can thrive on lower ground. Everything from the variety of the plant, the chemistry of the soil, the weather, the amount of rainfall and sunshine, and even the precise altitude at which the coffee grows can affect the taste of the final product.
Coffea Arabica descends from the original coffee trees discovered in Ethiopia. These trees produce a fine, mild, aromatic coffee and represent approximately 70% of the world’s coffee production. The beans are flatter and more elongated than Robusta and lower in caffeine.
On the world market, Arabica coffee brings the highest prices. The better Arabicas are high grown coffees — generally grown between 2,000 to 6,000 feet (610 to 1830 meters) above sea level — though optimal altitude varies with proximity to the equator.
The Robusta tree is heartier and more resistant to disease and parasites, which makes it easier and cheaper to cultivate. It also has the advantage of being able to withstand warmer climates, preferring constant temperatures between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit, which enables it to grow at far lower altitudes than Arabica.
It requires about 60 inches of rainfall a year, and cannot withstand frost. Compared with Arabica, Robusta beans produce a coffee which has a distinctive taste and about 50-60% more caffeine.
These key variables, combined with the way the cherries are processed after being picked, contribute to the distinctions between coffees from countries, growing regions and plantations worldwide.
On the planting aspect for those desirous of engaging the lucrative commercially viable crop, Uganda Coffee Development Authority guides as follows;
A. Land Selection and Field Preparation
i. Select gently sloping land and avoid very steep slopes;
ii. Select deep, fertile, well aerated and freely draining soils with good structure and texture and rich in organic matter;
iii. Clear and clean land of all tree stumps, roots and obnoxious weeds;
iv. Mark out the field using pegs at spacing of 3×3 meters for Robusta Coffee and 2.4 meters for Arabica Coffee or 10×10 feet for Robusta Coffee or 8×8 feet for Arabica Coffee between and within rows running parallel to the contour;
v. Three months before planting, dig holes 60 cm deep by 60 cm long and 60 cm deep (or 2 feet wide x 2 feet long x 2 feet deep). The top soil should be placed on the upper side and the sub soil on the lower side;
vi. Place about 10 kgs, (1 Tin) of manure per planting hole;
vii. Fill back the holes two months before planting by mixing the manure with the top soil and placing the mixture in the hole to fill it.
viii. Fix a stick in the middle of hole while filling to indicate where the plantlet will be planted;
ix. Procure planting material only from certified Clonal coffee nurseries;
B. Planting
x. Planting should be done at least after 4 consecutive rainy days of the rain season;
xi. Water the potted cutting/seedling the day before planting;
xii. Planting should be done in the evening hours of the day;
xiii. Remove the stick from the planting hole, (in viii) and make a hole large enough size to accommodate the plantlet;
xiv. Remove the polythene bag by cutting off its base;
xv. Cut back the tap root and remove the twisted parts of the root system;
xvi. Place the polythene bag in the hole and gently pull up the polythene (now cylinder) out over the top of the plant – (Caution: The used polypots should be burnt or buried in a deep pit after removal);
xvii. The soil is then packed round the plant and gently pressed down around the collar of the plant, making certain that the plant is at the same level in the field soil as it was in the bag. This is to avoid fungal attack that leads to collar rot;
xviii. Water the new plant immediately and every evening for at least 4 days if no rain available
xix. Provide shade to the newly planted plantlet using bamboo, tree branches etc.
C. Inter-cropping and Inter-planting in Young Coffee
xx. Recommended inter crops are bananas and legumes eg. soya beans, ground nuts and non-climbing phaseolus beans;
xxi. Legumes must be confined within the central 2 meters of the inter-row leaving a clear 0.5 meter between them and the coffee tree;
xxii. Bananas are inter-cropped in the ratio of 1 banana to 4 coffee trees;
xxiii. Shade trees should be inter-planted at a spacing of 60 feet; and
xxiv. Shade trees need to be with a wide canopy, leguminous, deep rooted, quick maturing, multipurpose, and without thorns.
Coffee is worth investing in your money
Let’s shine together in 2024. Start a Coffee Farm Today!!
The Author is Allan Bamuha-Deputy Resident District Commissioner Kyenjojo & Director Atwoki Mixed Farm
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