Global warming to affect coffee production - Global warming has increased the spread of pests in key farming regions with coffee exports facing the strain from the berry disease. Scientists at the Nairobi based International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) predict increased incidences of coffee berry borer in coffee zones over the next 40 years due to changing climatic patterns.

Even small increases in temperature will lead to serious consequences on the number of generations, as well as the latitudinal and altitudinal range of the borer, adversely affecting coffee production in East Africa and parts of South America." ICIPE said in a statement released last week.

This report presents a setback to the government that had predicted better times for the crop that once served as the country's lead foreign exchange earner. Uganda Coffee Development Authority recently reported that Uganda may export more beans in the 2010-11 season than expected on hope of improved yields in the south and southwestern regions.

The coffee authority expects shipments to rise to more than 3 million 60-kilogramme bags in the coffee year ending September 30, 2011. Last month 309,303 bags were sent as the southern and southwestern regions had a good end to the season, according to UCDA.

A drought earlier this year had forced the agency to cut back the 2010-11 forecast from 3.1 million to 2.6 million bags in April, however, current forecasts expects to rise to just over 3 million bags. Exports from the start of the 2010 season, which usually starts on October 1, through August climbed to 2.8 million bags, from 2.5 million bags a year earlier, according to available data at the UCDA.

The Monitor/20/09/2011