Weaning and hardening of coffee
tissue culture plantlets
Possible role of Xclusive Cuttings in
Uganda’s Robusta replanting
campaign
Peter Benders
Director Xclusive Cuttings
Uganda Coffee Day 2011
Rapid Multiplication of the 7 CWD resistant Lines
This presentation
• Xclusive Cuttings
 Background
 Impression of current operations
• Possible role in Replanting campaign
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Production steps
Time frame
Size
Finances
Bottle necks
Conclusions / Way forward
 Movies to visualize vision
Background on Xclusive Cuttings
• Floriculture farm that propagates
flower cuttings
• Since 2003
• Location: 10 km off Gayaza road
• 50 ha land – 5,5 ha greenhouses
• > 100 million cuttings per year
• > 250 staff
• Experience Director
 19 years in propagation of cuttings
 15 years in Uganda
Impression of Xclusive Cuttings
• 11 green houses with
latest technologies
• 5,5 hectares of
Chrysanthemum &
Kalanchoe cuttings
Impression of Xclusive Cuttings
All irrigation water is
disinfected with active
chlorine
• 6 storage tanks for
irrigation water of
different compositions
fertilisers
Impression of Xclusive Cuttings
• Use of ‘fertigation’ in all
green houses
i.e. fertiliser mixed in
irrigation water
• Mixing of fertigation
water & climate control
in greenhouses is
computer controlled
Impression of Xclusive Cuttings
• Individual pumps for 6
levels of fertigation
water
• Fertigation system in
green houses
Why an interest in coffee?
Xclusive Cuttings
• 2006/7 – Concept note for
USAID/APEP on multiplication of 40
million tissue culture plants per year
• 2011 – Contacts with UCDA
Personal
• Contribution to improving livelihoods
of Uganda’s farmers
• Enjoy technical challenge
Vision of Xclusive Cuttings
Contribute to the coffee replanting
campaign by delivering 200 million high
quality coffee seedlings to Uganda’s
coffee farmers
Replanting campaign – production phases
Phase 1: Large-scale multiplication of
the seven varieties through
tissue culture (8 months)
Phase 2: Large-scale weaning and
hardening of the TC plants in
greenhouse (9 months)
Phase 3: Distribution throughout the
country
Phase 4: Buying and planting by farmers
Replanting campaign – time frame
Phase Years
Production
(# plants/yr)
Other
I
2012/13
1 million
Sourcing funding
II
2014
5 million
Building of TC and
greenhouse capacity
III
2015
20 million
Additional building of TC
and greenhouse capacity
IV
2016-2020
40 million
-
226 million
-
TOTAL 2012-2020
 2024: All planted trees in full production
Replanting campaign – size
• Weaning and hardening units:
 20 hectares of greenhouses
 160 times larger than Nakanyonyi
nursery
• Employees: 350-400 full time staff
• Logistics:
 25 refrigerated trucks (20-40 foot)
 Daily distribution up-country in April-May
& September-October
• Acreage planted: 36.000 ha per year
• Farmers: 1.3 million @ 175 trees
Replanting campaign - costs
• Investment and production costs of TC
phase:
?
• Investment cost for Xclusive Cuttings:
$ 13-16 million
• Production cost for 226 million plants
(weaning to delivery): $ 61 million
• Cost per plant (weaning to delivery):
$ 0.27 or 750-800 UGX
=> Need for 50% subsidy in order to sell at
current market price
Financial benefits for Uganda
• Current annual Robusta export value:
$ 272 million (Sep 2010 - Aug 2011)
≈ 10% national budget
• Estimated additional annual Robusta
export value (200 million productive trees):
$ 300 million per year
 Replanting campaign doubles
 Contribution of coffee to national budget
 Income of coffee farmers
Possible bottlenecks
• Funding requirements
• Rules/regulations of government and
donors
• Possible project politics vs. Xclusive
ethics
• Logistical operations and distribution
of plants to farmers
• Collection of farmer payment for
plants
• Possible corruption (distribution and
cash collection)
Conclusion
• At technical level a professional challenge, but
achievable
• Main challenges: political & logistics upcountry
• Major impact from farmer to national
economy of Uganda
=> PROJECT SHOULD HAVE STARTED YESTERDAY
(or better 5 years ago)
Visualizing the project - I
Visualizing the project - II
Visualizing the project - III
Visualizing the project - IV
Ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for your attention. I would
like to open the floor for questions and
discussion