Land Selection and Field Preparation

Selecting the Land

• Opt for gently sloping land; avoid steep slopes to prevent erosion.
• Ensure the soil is deep, fertile, well-aerated, freely draining, and rich in organic matter.

Preparation

1. Clear land of stumps, roots, and weeds.
2. Use pegs to mark the field at appropriate spacing:
   • Robusta Coffee: 3×3 meters (or 10×10 feet).
   • Arabica Coffee: 2.4×2.4 meters (or 8×8 feet).
3. Dig planting holes (60 cm x 60 cm x 60 cm). Separate topsoil and subsoil.
4. Add 10 kg of manure to each hole and mix with topsoil before refilling.

Planting Guidelines

• Timing: Plant after four consecutive rainy days during the rainy season.
• Steps:
  1. Water seedlings a day before planting.
  2. Dig a hole to fit the plantlet and remove the polythene bag carefully.
  3. Place the plantlet in the hole and backfill with soil, ensuring the base matches ground level.
  4. Water immediately and regularly for the first four days if rain is absent.
• Shade: Use materials like bamboo to provide shade for young plants.

Inter-Cropping and Shade Management

• Inter-Crops: Bananas and legumes such as soya beans, groundnuts, and beans.
• Shade Trees:
  • Spaced at 60 feet apart.
  • Should be leguminous, deep-rooted, wide-canopied, quick-maturing, and thorn-free.

Primary Coffee Processing

General Overview

Coffee cherries undergo processing to extract beans from their covering (pulp, mucilage, parchment, and film). Two main methods are used:

1. Wet Processing (for Arabica Coffee).
2. Dry Processing (for Robusta Coffee).

Wet Processing

1. Cherry Separation:
   • Floatation to remove unripe cherries and impurities.
2. Pulping:
   • Beans are squeezed from cherries using manual or mechanical pulpers.
   • Mucilage is removed through fermentation or mechanical methods.
3. Washing:
   • Fermented beans are washed in water-filled channels to remove degraded mucilage.
4. Drying:
   • Beans are dried to 12% moisture content on raised tables or using mechanical driers.

Dry Processing

1. Drying:
   • Harvested cherries are sun-dried on raised surfaces, stirred frequently, and kept dry throughout.
2. Hulling:
   • Removal of husk or parchment using hullers.
   • Process results in clean dry beans graded as Fair Average Quality (FAQ).

Utilization and Value Addition

Roasting and Grinding

• FAQ coffee beans are roasted and ground into powder for human consumption.

Market Quality Enhancement

• Wet-processed coffees are known for superior taste and appearance (Arabica).
• Dry-processed coffees (Robusta) dominate production with robust flavor profiles.

Impact

By following these comprehensive practices, TRIDI aims to:

• Improve yields and coffee quality.
• Enhance profitability for farmers through sustainable practices and value addition.
• Position Uganda as a global leader in coffee production.