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F
OURTY-year-old Ssalongo Suleiman Kateregga, who
lives in Gombe village in Kakindu sub-county, Mityana
district has been growing coffee for the last 15 years.
He says working in close collaboration with his wife and
children, has helped him to have a steady income throughout
the year. Despite his youthful age, Kateregga claims that he is
involved in the entire production process, from tending to his
coffee plants sitting on five acres of land. “I am involved in the
planting,weeding, pruning, harvestingandsellingofmycoffee
at the goodprices,” says the soft spoken farmer.
Kateregga works tirelessly with simple tools, growing coffee
along with other crops like yams, bananas, Irish potatoes
which enables him to provide for his family. He harvests his
coffee and sells it to a nearby cooperative-Kakindu farmer’s
Tukolerewamucooperativesociety,wherehe isalsoamember
andearnsabonusat theendof theseason.Hisannual income
from coffee is estimated at about UGX 15million (USD$6,
0000). In addition to coffee he earns about UGX 2million from
his beef butchery business. Kateregga buys and slaughters
heifers twice a week-Wednesdays and Saturdays. According
tohim, this isenough to fulfil his family’s foodandhealthneeds
aswell as educating his 10 childrenwho in turn help him tend
his shambasandharvestingespeciallyduring school holidays.
Howhe started?
Kateregga started growing coffee in 1999 with a few plants
sincehedidn’thaveenoughresourcestosupporthisambitions.
Later, hewas encouraged by one of the prominent farmers in
the area-Paul Magezi not to lose focus about coffee growing.
“He advised me to harvest only the ripe beans and dry it on
the tarpaulins in order tomaintain the demanded quality,” he
Katereggaworks tirelesslywith simple tools, growing
coffeealongwithother crops like yams, bananas,
Irishpotatoeswhichenableshim toprovide for his
familywithout resorting toanyoutsideassistance.
