By Davis Mugabi
He may have quit active politics, but is surely not out!
Former Rubaga North Member of Parliament Moses Kasibante is earning up to 500 million from coffee farming per year.
According to Journalist Taddewo Senyonyi, Kasibante told a group of visitors at his farm (when asked if coffee farming makes business sense) recently when he said: I harvest 10 kgs of Kiboko (dry cherries) per season from trees above 5 years and 5 kgs per season for coffee trees at 3 years.
Kasibante taking his visitors on a farm of his farm recently.
Kasibante told his visitors that his earning was possible due to irrigation, use of manure and general crop management.
“At an average of Shs3500 per kg, he said, it was possible to earn a gross profit of Shs70,000 from a mature coffee tree in a year. It’s possible,” Senyonyi said.
According to Kenneth Barigye, that means, out of an acre of 450 trees, he gets 4500 kgs.
One of the coffee trees at Kasibante’s farm. He harvests 10 kgs of Kiboko (dry cherries) per tree per season from trees above 5 years and 5 kgs per season for coffee trees at 3 years.
Barigye is a coffee farmer, processor, exporter and the founder of Mountain Harvest Coffee Company.
He explained: At the current market price of 3800 UGx per kg of Kiboko, he gets UGX17,100,000 per acre!
“If one has 20 acres, that is UGX342,000,000 per season! And for a year, that could be 513,000,000, assuming we discount the second season by 50%! If his production costs are at 30%, then the Hon stays with 359,100,000! That is a monthly earning of 29,925,000,” Barigye said.
