KAMPALA: State Minister for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Hon. Bwino Fred Kyakulaga addressed the media on Tuesday, December 7, 2021, at Uganda Media Center, Kampala advised coffee farmers on stoppage actions to put an end to the strange coffee pests and diseases reported in the country.
The advisory address comes after the ministry confirmed last week that indeed, three known pests and diseases were affecting the coffee plants, branches, leaves, and coffee berries. Initial reports of the pests and diseases were from Toro, Buganda (Mubende), Busoga, Bugisu, and Sebei sub-regions.
Minister Kyakulaga said that teams dispatched into the field from the ministry in partnership with Uganda’s National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) and Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) observed that there was high severity of Coffee Berry Disease (CBD) and Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) in Arabica coffee growing areas of Sebei district while the Black Coffee Twig Borer (BCTB) was the major pest in Robusta coffee in Iganga and Namutumba districts.
Hon. Kyakulaga in his keynote statement identified Black Coffee Twig Borer as a very small, highly prolific dark and oval-shaped beetle, that is present in all Robusta coffee growing areas in Uganda.
“If farmers do not manage the pest in line with the established guidelines, they can lose up to 50% of their crop yield,” he added.
He listed the first signs of infestation are yellowing of the leaves on the twigs. “If an affected branch is inspected, tiny entrance holes created by the borer, usually located on the branch underside are evident,” Kyakulaga noted, adding that later signs of infestation are a blackening of the stem and leaves.
To get rid of the pests and diseases, Kyakulaga advised farmers to integrate three main ways of controlling the Black Coffee Twig Borer, which include; cultural, chemical, and physical control measures.
“Avoid bushy farms by planting at recommended spacing and doing adequate de-suckering or pruning of coffee and the shade trees, enhance plant nutrition through soil fertility and moisture management by mulching, use the beetle trap (Brocca trap) developed by NARO, and Musambya trees as shade trees),” listed Kyakulaga.
The state minister also advised coffee farmers to regularly inspect coffee fields to identify any Black Coffee Twig Borer infestations and trim off affected twigs followed by immediate burning.
He advised coffee farmers to use a chemical spray, such as imidacloprid (sold under brand names such as Kohinor, Confidor, and Imax) to get rid of the mature beetles on what remains after cutting off and burning already dried twigs.
Over the last few months, the ministry leadership has been receiving reports from different farmer sources across the country complaining of strange pests and diseases affecting their coffee trees. These reports were later picked up by the media as farmers reported that their coffee trees were drying up.
To address this issue, State Minister Kyakulaga has noted that the ministry will work with the Division of Local Government Services with immediate effect to train and sensitize farmers on control measures, provide pesticides to farmers with affected coffee trees, and support farmers with planting materials for gap filling and expansion.