Maturing investments fuel Uganda’s coffee boom: 15% production surge forecasted for 2025/2026

By:Chidozie Nwali

Uganda, already solidifying its position as Africa’s top coffee exporter, is set to record another significant milestone with a projected 14.8% to 15% surge in coffee production for the 2025/2026 crop year (October-September). Its ministry of agriculture said on Thursday.

The significant increase is not a sudden windfall, but a direct payoff from the government’s long-term national coffee strategy—particularly the maturation of vast, newly planted acres of land.

Gerald Kyalo, Commissioner for the Coffee Department at the Ministry of Agriculture, confirmed the forecast, stating, “The major reason is increased planting. Many farmers have planted coffee which we anticipate will come into production this year and will inevitably push up exports as well.” Reuters reported.

The East African country is expected to produce 9.3 million 60KG bags in 2025/2026;  15% up from 8.1 million bags produced in 2024/2025.

In 2024, Uganda coffee exports earnings reached a record high of $2.2 billion, nearly doubling the $1.14 billion earned in the previous financial year.

For years, the government has been distributing free, high-yielding coffee seedlings and fertilizers to farmers to encourage the expansion of acreage and replacement of old trees. The current harvest cycle is the first major yield from these long-term investments.

Uganda’s production is dominated by the Robusta variety, which is seeing 30% price increase and high demand due to global supply constraints elsewhere.

The East African coffee exporter has an ambitious Coffee Roadmap, which targets an annual production of 20 million bags by 2030. The 9.3 million bag forecast keeps the sector on a strong upward trajectory toward this national goal.