Uganda coffee exports plunge 20% in February as drought cuts yields

Uganda’s coffee exports fell 20% in February compared to the same period a year ago, the state-run sector regulator said on Saturday, blaming the decline on drought-stricken areas of the country.

The country in east Africa exported 448,957 60-kilogram

February volumes exported were 20% lower than the same month last year, the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) said in a report published on Saturday.

Uganda is Africa’s largest coffee exporter, followed by Ethiopia, and earnings from the beans account for a significant portion of the country’s foreign exchange earnings.

The UCDA stated that the decline in exports was primarily due to low robusta yields, the primary coffee variety grown in Uganda.

“The decline in robusta exports is primarily due to lower yields this year, which were exacerbated by drought in some regions,” UCDA stated.

Uganda cited unfair tariffs and other barriers to the export of processed coffee to Europe and other markets as the reason for its withdrawal from an International Coffee Organization (ICO) agreement last month.

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