Africa’s leading coffee exporter,reported a remarkable surge in its September coffee exports, with figures jumping 59% compared to the same month last year. The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) on Wednesday attributes this significant growth primarily to a bumper harvest in the central and eastern regions of the country.
Uganda’s coffee sector, alongside gold, remains a cornerstone of the East African nation foreign exchange earnings.
According to the latest monthly report from the MAAIF, Uganda exported 844,949 60-kilogram bags of coffee in September, a substantial increase from the 532,212 bags shipped in September of the previous year. This translates to an increase of over 56% in quantity and approximately 48% in value year-on-year for the month.
The massive volume boost helped push the country’s total coffee export earnings for the twelve months ending in September to an impressive $2.3 billion, marking a roughly 57% increase in value over the previous twelve-month period.
The most immediate cause is the higher-than-expected yields, particularly from the main harvest season underway in the Central and Eastern coffee-growing regions.
Long-term government initiatives, such as the massive distribution of free, high-yielding coffee seedlings to farmers, are paying off. Newly-planted acreage is reaching maturity, significantly boosting the overall national output.
While the primary driver for volume is production, high global coffee prices have continued to incentivize farmers to harvest more efficiently and sell their stock quickly. The average export price for a kilogram of Ugandan coffee in September was higher than the previous month, further enhancing export earnings.
Uganda is the birthplace of Robusta coffee and the continent’s largest Robusta exporter. The strength of this variety remains the backbone of the country’s production and export volume.
The agriculture ministry’s report paints an optimistic picture for the sector’s immediate future. Officials project that the country’s total coffee production for the current crop year (which runs from October to September) will surge by an additional 15%.
