COFFEE & COCOA GOLDMINE! COCOFAR Eyes Value Addition, Bigger Markets in New Financial Year
COCOFAR, a dynamic, member-driven umbrella cooperative that originated from the COCODEV programs and was officially registered in 2024 has steadily grown into a platform that unites coffee and cocoa farmers with a shared vision of improving production, enhancing quality, increasing profitability, and creating sustainable livelihoods
By Brian Musaasizi
The Coffee and Cocoa Farmers’ Cooperative Society (COCOFAR) has announced priorities for this financial year, centering on strengthening aggregation and collective marketing systems, completing the registration of all cooperative members and expanding membership across all targeted districts.
Speaking at the 1st Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 30th June 2026 held at the Coffee House in Kampala, George Mutabaazi , the Chairperson COCOFAR said the Board will also prioritize on the establishment of value addition facilities for coffee and cocoa, mobilize affordable financing for farmers , scaling up irrigation and climate-smart agriculture initiatives.
‘’Our mission remains to aggregate members’ produce, improve farm productivity and quality, provide value-added services including access to quality inputs, farmer training, processing, and marketing, while securing stable and premium markets for our members’ products. We are equally committed to reinvesting cooperative profits into services that directly benefit our members,” Mutabaazi said at a meeting where a new board was instituted.
To strengthen coordination and service delivery, Mutabaazi said the cooperative has a plan of establishing strategic regional clusters comprising the Northern, Western, Central, Southern, and Eastern regions. This decentralized structure will enable COCOFAR to respond effectively to members’ needs while promoting efficient management and regional representation.
In the previous financial year, the cooperative successfully conducted regional sensitization and mobilization workshops across various districts such as Lwengo, Kyotera, Bukomansimbi, Sembabule, Rakai among others. These engagements aim to strengthen farmer awareness, promote cooperative membership, and enhance regional coordination.
The cooperative mobilized community groups and cooperatives to be members of COCOFAR in Masaka and Mukono sub regions with over 100 prospective members line-listed in each district of Masaka sub region, laying a strong foundation for future membership expansion. Additionally, COCOFAR members at district level were also trained in best agronomic services.
In accordance with Board resolutions, COCOFAR also transferred its investment funds to the Unitrust Fund as part of prudent financial management and long-term investment planning.
One of their significant milestones was the successful registration of both: COCOFAR Cooperative Society; and COCOFAR Private Company Limited which positions the organization to effectively undertake commercial investments while safeguarding members’ cooperative interests.
COCOFAR also initiated a strategic partnership with Pearl Bank aimed at improving members’ access to: Agricultural financing; Irrigation technologies; Fertilizers and farm inputs; and Financial inclusion services.
As part of this collaboration, a Water-Smart Farming Demonstration Training was successfully conducted in Lwengo District, attracting over 300 smallholder farmers who benefited from practical demonstrations on climate-smart agricultural practices.
Although significant progress has been made, the cooperative continues to face several challenges, including; Limited operational capital required to expand services; Inadequate farmer access to affordable production inputs; Climate change effects affecting productivity and Need for stronger market linkages and value addition infrastructure.
‘’I commend my fellow Board members for their commitment, dedication, and voluntary service in laying a strong foundation for this cooperative. I encourage every member to remain united, committed, and actively involved in the affairs of COCOFAR. Together, we can build a strong, sustainable, and prosperous cooperative that transforms the livelihoods of coffee and cocoa farmers across Uganda,’’ Mutabaazi added.
COCOFAR, a dynamic, member-driven umbrella cooperative that originated from the COCODEV programs and was officially registered in 2024 has steadily grown into a platform that unites coffee and cocoa farmers with a shared vision of improving production, enhancing quality, increasing profitability, and creating sustainable livelihoods.
Currently, COCOFAR represents 105 farmers (42 women and 63 men), each managing over 10 acres of coffee and cocoa plantations across key agricultural regions of Uganda. Of these, 31 members have completed full membership registration, while the remaining members are in the process of fulfilling the legal requirements for full membership.
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