MILAN – Coffee exports from Uganda, Africa’s largest exporter of the commodity, surged 17.2% in July from the same month of 2019 on the back of higher output from new coffee trees and thanks to the easing of coronavirus restrictions, Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) reported this week.
The country shipped 543,251 60-kilogram bags of coffee in July, up from 463,709 bags exported in the same month last year.
It is the highest amount of coffee exported in a month since 1991, according to sector regulator.
UCDA said there was “increased production on account of fruition of the newly planted coffee, and favourable weather.”
Traders also released higher stocks after authorities started easing some of anti-coronavirus restrictions, the regulator added.
Uganda strengthened its position as Africa’s largest coffee exporter with a record volume of 5.06 million bags in the financial year that ended on June 30, ministry of finance figures show. Export earnings also reached an all-time new level of US$494 million.
In FY 2018/19, Uganda coffee exports reached 4.18 million bags worth US $416 million compared.
The ministry said the year 2020 could see Uganda, already Africa’s largest coffee exporter, overtaking Ethiopia as the continent’s largest coffee producer.
The Uganda Coffee Roadmap, which responds to a directive issued by the President of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in 2014, aims to accelerate coffee production from the then 3.5 million 60kg bags to 20 million bags of green coffee by the year 2025.
