Rapple "Scholarly Communications and the Sustainable Development Goals"
Robusta2ver
1. UGANDA: THE BIRTH PLACE OF ROBUSTA
&
PIONEER OF SPECIALTY ROBUSTA
BRAZIL ROBUSTA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
12TH JUNE 2012, VITORIA, ESPIRITO SANTO
HENRY NGABIRANO
1
Sunday, June 24, 2012
2. DISCUSSION TO INCLUDE
• UGANDA vs BRAZIL
• UGANDA’S HERITAGE AS THE BIRTH PLACE
OF ROBUSTA
• COFFEE RESEARCH
• ROBUSTA IN THE SPECIALTY MOVEMENT
&
Where you must be come 14th Feb 2013
6. AFRICA IS HUGE
IT CAN SWALLOW (oh no is bigger
than) CHINA, USA, INDIA, EUROPE,
ARGENTINA & NEW ZEALAND
combined
And
would still have space to fit South Korea
7.
8. vs
It is a David and Goliath situation
Let’s look @
AREA, POPULATION, GDPpp, GDP
pc, COFFEE PRODUCTION, and
FARMERS
9. PARAMETER FACTOR
AREA (sq km) 0.241million 8,514 million 35 Smaller
POPULATION 35.8 million 205.7 million 6 Smaller
GDPpp US$ $45.9 billion $2.282 trillion 50 Smaller
GDPpc $1,300 $11,600 9 Smaller
Source: Personal research & CIA World
factbook
10. WHAT IF UGANDA WAS IN BRAZIL
IT WOULD BE ABOUT THE SIZE OF SAO PAULO
(247K sq km)
POPULATION GDP
Rio de Janeiro + Minas GOIAS STATE
Gerais States combined Source: Personal research & CIA World
factbook
11. PARAMETER FACTOR
PRODUCTION/YEAR 3-3.5m bags 50-55m bags 17 Smaller
FARMERS 1.3m 0.35m 4 BIGGER
BAGS/FARMER 2.5 bags 183 bags 73 (IN EFFICIENT
USE OF LABOUR)
MAJOR REGIONS Western, Central, Eastern Minas Gerais, Espirito 4X4
and North West Santo, Sao Paulo & Bahia
ALTITUDE masl Robusta (1100-1600) Both A+R (700-1250) 2 HIGHER
Arabica (1300-2300)
PROCESSING METHODS DRY, SEMI AND FULLY NATURAL, SEMI AND 3X3
WASHED FULLY WASHED
GRADING SYSYEM SIZE, DEFECT COUNT & SIZE, DEFECT COUNT & SAME
CUP CUP
12. Robusta coffee is indigenous to Uganda
• Robusta coffee is indigenous: It was found naturally
occurring in the tropical forests near Lake Victoria
crescent
• Before 1890 a few trees would be gathered near
homestead for cultural use
• Cultivation on commercial basis literally started
early 1900’s
• This was later confirmed by Maitland, 1926;
Thomas, 1940 that same trees existed in:
• Kibale, Itwara, Bwamba, Budongo in western Uganda;
• Zoka in the northern Uganda
• Kasai (defunct) in Central Uganda- near Lake Victoria.
13. “A COUNTRY WEAVED WITH COFFEE &
CULTURE”
• Coffee is interwoven in the cultures of most tribes in
Uganda
• It plays traditional roles socially, culturally and
economically
• Many traditions have used Coffee as a uniting factor, for
friendship, fire, love and medicine.
• When two families without biological relationships wanted
to seal a friendship, they would use coffee beans
• The major Kingdoms used in coffee in royal and marriage
ceremonies where Coffee beans would be used as a
symbol of acceptance of the groom by the bride
14. Coffee was considered a special wind trapper for winds
believed to be carrying spirits and gods.
It is generally held that lightening cannot strike a coffee
tree.
This culture is gradually being phased out at the
expense of modernization.
The only strong culture is coffee chewing.
17. And later to the rest of tropical world
Secondary R&D centers:
CAR, India, Madagascar and
Mexico
1950s: 5 policlons
(Romex)
Uganda and DR Congo Java (Indonesia) primary
Ivory Coast main primary selection center selection center
selection site from 1960 between 1930 and 1960 between 1900-30
18. Major Policy Changes Over Time
SINCE 1990’s
Period of Liberalization
* Cooperatives
* Private Sector
1960’s
Period of Gov’t control
* Coffee Marketing Board
1950’s
Period of Private operations
* Cooperatives
* Private Traders
19. Coffee Value Chain Players
Importers (Consuming Countries) – Several (80% Europe)
Coffee Federation Exporters - 42
Millers - 340
Farmer Asscns
Middlemen - Many
Farmers – 1.3m HH
20. Coffee Season in Uganda
Months
Regions Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep
Central Main Crop Fly Crop
Eastern Main Crop Fly Crop
S.Western Fly Crop Main Crop
N.Western Main Crop Fly Crop
21. COFFEE TYPES AVAILABLE FOR EXPORT
• Natural Robusta
• Washed Robusta
• Washed Arabica
• Natural Arabica
• Natural Organic Robusta
• Washed Organic Arabica
• Other certified coffees (Fair trade, Utz,
Rainforest Alliance) and 4C
22. Evolution of Robusta coffee research in
Uganda
• Robusta coffee is indigenous to Uganda, where it is endemic
to indigenous tropical forests (Maitland, 1926; Thomas, 1940)
• Kibale, Itwara, Bwamba, Budongo in western Uganda;
• Zoka in the northern Uganda
• Kasai (defunct) in Central Uganda- near Lake Victoria.
• Pre- 1890:
• No research
• Few trees cultivated near homestead for cultural use
• Propagated as open pollinated seedlings and mature stem cuttings of
any genotype
• 1890-1910
• Germplasm collection
• Emphasis on Arabica (considered high quality)
• Importing and distribution of Arabica germplasm for cultivation
23. Genetic diversity of Ugandan C. canephora and other diversity groups
Uganda-feral Uganda-cultivated
Kalangala •Nganda
•Erecta
Congolese
Guinean
Uganda-wild
Uganda-wild Itwara
Kibale
23
Musoli et al, 2007
24. • 1910-1916
– Mainly Germplasm Collection
– Emphasis changed to Robusta due to leaf rust on Arabica
– Massive distribution of open pollinated seeds of nganda
phenotypes (due to vigour) to farmers
• 1916-36
– Research was initiated (Mostly applied)
– Germplasm collection
– Evaluation and selection of natural genotypes for
• Bean size
• Cup quality
• Yield
– Emphasis on erecta phenotypes (large been size and high
yielding)
– Massive distribution of open pollinated seeds of one tree
selection and its descendants to farmers
26. • 1936-56
– Selections emphasizing natural nganda populations
– Massive distribution of open pollinated seed of nganda
genotypes to farmers
• 1952-1970
– Individual/clone selections emphasizing yield, quality,
resistance to leaf rust (8 elite clones – 3tn/ha)
27. • 1952-1970
– Initiated conventional hybridization
– Other research:
• soil fertility management (inorganic fertilizer
application rates)
• tree population densities (spacing)
• canopy management (pruning, stool stems)
• insect pest management (cultural -berry borer)
• 1970-1990
– Dark research period
– Set up mother gardens for vegetative propagation
of 8 elite clones
28. • 1990-96
– Revitalization of coffee research
– Massive multiplication and distribution of 6 elite
clones
– Selection of artificial hybrid clones (16 clones
selected)
– Research on
• Mulching + pest interactions (Mulch
appropriateness)
• Coffee + banana intercropping (4:1 coffee to
banana; profitability, food security))
• Coffee + legume intercrops (profitability)
• Inorganic vs. organic soil fertility management
• Natural enemies of berry borer (Ugandan)
• Out break of coffee wilt disease
30. Coffee Wilt Disease (CWD) has been the major constraints of
Robusta coffee production since 1993
31. •CWD infection is through wounds on stems and roots but direct
penetration without wounds is possible through roots
•CWD is a vascular disease, whose symptoms progress from leaf
curling to fatal wilting of infected trees (Fraselle, 1950; Saccas, 1951)
Primary branches of C. canephora tree with C. canephora tree which has wilted to death
Healthy C. canephora tree curling leaves caused by CWD due to CWD
CWD symptom on C. canephora trees in the field
31
32. • 1997-2012 emphasis
– Development of CWD resistant varieties
• Screening populations for resistance to CWD
Evaluating CWD resistant genotypes for other
traits (yield, quality, resistance to other diseases
(leaf rust, red blister)
Leaf rust
Red blister
34. Emerging issues
– Emergency and management of Black coffee Twig Borer
• Epidemiology
• Diversity
• Cultural, Chemical and Biological control
– Climate change (especially unpredictable and prolonged
drought periods)
– Molecular marker assisted breeding for
• Drought tolerance
• CWD resistance
• BCTB resistance
35. Key points on research
• Evolved from collection of local natural populations to
basic applied research
• Driven by the needs of the industry
– Productivity
– Quality
• Served the basic needs of the industry
– High yielding, disease resistant and good quality varieties
and their propagation methods (seed, tissue culture,
cuttings)
– Generic soil fertility management practices
– Generic crop canopy management practices
– Diagnostic and pest (weeds, insects +disease)
management services
• Limited in Academia
• Still have many un studied diverse populations
36. Areas of collaboration
• Need to leap to upstream science such as marker
assisted selection for better varieties
– Quality
– Drought tolerance
– Disease resistance
– Adaptation marginal soil conditions (ph)
– Pest and disease diagnosis
• Building capacity for the upstream science
– Human
– Infrastructure
37. Robusta’s space in specialty movement is
empty
Arabica Robusta
Specialty
Specialty(10%)
(0%)
Conventional(90%) Conventional(100%)
38. Why 0% Specialty Robusta
Limited effort from
Equated to poor
origins to
quality
differentiate robusta
Perception
R-Grading
Attitude change Initial effort + price
discovery system
10th African Fine Coffee Conference + Exhibition Kampala Uganda 14-16th Feb 2013 will
change attitude
39. Hard facts
• Robusta is a big contributor to global
production/consumption (40%)
• Now makes zero contribution to the specialty
movement
• Robusta also has outstanding quality characteristics
• Differentiation in robusta like any product adds great
value
• Robusta consumption is largely in low/medium
income economies they are also entitled to
differentiation
• Is an important source of livelihood for millions of
households
40. ROBUSTA’S SPACE IN DIFFERENTIATED MARKET
In the past two years we have held 9 international robusta
workshops and outstanding robustas were found:
– Western and Central Africa:
• Ivory Coast, Togo, Gabon
• Cameroun, Angola
– East Africa:
• Uganda, RD Congo and Tanzania
• Madagascar
– South and South-East of Asia:
• India and Indonesia (Java, Flores)
– Latin America
• Mexico, Guatemala and Ecuador
• Brazil (Conilon)
The 10th African Fine Coffee Conference + Exhibition Kampala Uganda 14-16th Feb 2013
42. ROBUSTA HAS SPACE IN DIFFERENTIATED
MARKET
Therefore we need to commit to:
• Quality improvement and development of
protocols
• Country identification of locations and varieties
with intrinsic potential
• Research and develop processing methods and
conditions important for robusta differentiation
• Encourage and excite everyone about
outstanding robustas
• Look into price discovery for specialty robusta
44. THINGS TO CONSIDER
• Refine and expedite protocols development
• Validate and internationalise the protocols
• Recast the way robusta is traded
• De-commoditize robusta (specialty robusta
exchange in Brazil?????????)
45. WHEN THE BIRTH PLACE OF ROBUSTA
MEETS
THE BIGGEST CONSUMER OF
ROBUSTA
SOMETHING FUNDAMENTAL MUST
HAPPEN
46. TOGETHER: LET’S WORK ON SPECIALTY
ROBUSTA and stick till delivered like a postage stamp
Henry Ford 1863-1947
Coming together
is a beginning Keeping together
Is progress
WORKING TOGETHER IS SUCCESS
47. COME TO UGANDA THE
BIRTH PLACE OF ROBUSTA COFFEE
“For magnificence, for variety, of form and color, for profusion of brilliant life –
plant, bird, insect, reptile beast – for vast scale….Uganda is truly the Pearl of Africa.”
Winston Churchill
and also for
THE 10TH AFRICA FINE COFFEE CONFERENCE
&
EXHIBITION
14-16TH FEBRARY 2013
GREAT ROBUSTAS WILL BE UNVEILED
THANK YOU
Editor's Notes
Montagnon et al (1998) cit in Gafa Ferrao et al., Café Conilon
