Uganda earns $876.4m from coffee export
November 23 - 2022
Coffee Geography Magazine
Uganda earns a record US$876.4million from coffee export in the concluded 2021/2022 year that ended on September.30. This represents a 39% increase in revenues compared to the previous year despite a decline in export volumes. Latest statistics from the state-owned Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) shows that the East African nation exported 5.85 million 60kgs bags of coffee for last year’s fiscal year compared to 6.5million 60kg bags exported in the previous year.
“The decrease in exports was mainly attributed to lower yields this year that were characterized by drought in most regions,” UCDA states in the monthly report for September this year.
“This led to a shorter main harvest season in Central and Eastern regions and also reduced harvests from Greater Masaka and South-Western regions.”
Most of the country’s coffee exports were destined to Italy, Sudan, Germany, India and Morocco. Others are Tunisia, Samalia, Egypt, Libya and Kenya.
Uganda has since 2014 recorded steady growth in coffee export earnings driven by the government’s deliberate step to boost coffee production. In the 2014/15 coffee year, Uganda exported 3.24 million 60kgs bags of coffee worth US$403million.
UCDA adds that though September was characterized by near normal to normal rains that favored coffee planting across many regions, not many farmers planted due to limited access to free coffee seedlings as a result of the changes in coffee distribution policy through the Parish Development Model (PDM). Also, UCDA and National Coffee Research Institute (NaCORI) conducted pest and disease surveillance surveys that indicated a high incidence of root mealy bugs and coffee berry disease especially in Elgon region. UCDA says the Red Blister Disease and the Black Coffee Twig Borer (BCTB) were prevalent in almost all Robusta growing Regions.