KAMPALA (Reuters) – Uganda’s coffee exports declined last month due to the impact of a drought affecting many growing areas across the country, the state-run sector regulator said.
The east African country shipped a total of 503,695 60-kg bags of coffee beans in September, down 14% compared with the same period a year earlier, Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) said in a report.
“The decrease in exports was mainly attributed to lower yields this year that were characterised by drought in most regions,” UCDA said, adding the dry conditions had resulted in a shorter harvest season in central and eastern Uganda.
Uganda is Africa’s largest exporter of coffee, followed by Ethiopia, and relies on earnings from the crop as a major source of foreign exchange.
September is the last month of the crop year, which starts the previous October.
In the 2021-2022 (Oct- Sept) crop year, Uganda exported 5.9
million bags that fetched $876 million, down from 6.5 million
bags worth $630.01 million.
Some years earnings are higher despite a decline in volumes, because of rises in international coffee prices.
(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by George Obulutsa and Estelle Shirbon)
