Uganda launched the first electronic auction of its coffee on Tuesday, in a bid to better position its products on the international market and fetch better prices for producers.
Small quantities of top Ugandan Arabica coffee were offered in an online auction to 10 countries including the U.S., Australia, Asian nations, a European country and two African countries, according to Martin Maraka, program manager at the African Fine Coffees Association, the organizer.
The three-day auction will become an annual event, he said by phone in an interview with Bloomberg.
The main challenge for the country is to boost the quality of its Arabica variety, to meet standards of specialty coffee roasters.
“Uganda hasn’t been seen as a home for high quality coffee. The auction will encourage quality as it will be rewarded highly,” Martin Maraka said.
Besides this event, the official said that the country would carry out, by mid-July, tests of Robusta variety to showcase its quality and dispel the idea that it should only be used in blending.
