'Agriculture can create wealth if approached with planning'
"Therefore, my core message is that agriculture can create wealth if approached with planning, technical knowledge and commercial thinking,” Mwanje advised the youth.
Vicent Mwanje,
According to the Ministry of Finance’s performance of the economy report for August 2026, coffee export earnings declined by 18.2% on a year-on-year basis, from $250.60 million in July 2025 to $204.94 million in July 2026.
The decline was attributed to lower international coffee prices and a reduction in export volumes.
The coffee export price declined from $4.20 per kilogram in July 2025 to $4.03 per kilogram in July 2026, partly reflecting increased production from Brazil and Vietnam. Similarly, the volume of coffee exports declined from 995,211 60-kilogram bags to 846,686 bags over the same period.
Despite the year-on-year decline, coffee export earnings increased by 16.8% on a month-on-month basis, from $175.47 million in June 2026 to $204.94 million in July 2026.
On a year-on-year basis, Uganda’s merchandise exports increased by 10.1%, rising from $1,274.28 million in July 2025 to $1,402.56 million in July 2026, representing an increase of $128.28 million.
Italy remained the leading destination for Uganda’s coffee exports, accounting for 29.3% of total coffee export receipts. It was followed by Sudan (15.1%), Germany (10.7%), Morocco (5.9%) and India (4.1%).
It’s against this background that some Ugandans have resorted to investing in coffee farming to improve their standard of living.
Mwanje, who says he is helping to make farming more professional, productive and attractive to young people, insists that through his businesses, M Vicent Coffee and Company Limited and M-Vicent Coffee Advice and Farm Services, based in Bunamwaya, Kampala, he has helped farmers plan, establish and manage productive plantations.
“I advise on banana farming and coffee-banana intercropping to help farmers use land more productively. This model combines field consultations, farm inputs, technical advice and supervision,” he says.
Mwaje advises farmers on land preparation, spacing, pruning, fertiliser use and plantation maintenance, insisting that this will make agriculture appealing to youth.
“My long-term vision is to establish a coffee training academy offering practical training in production, farm management, soil fertility, crop protection, harvesting, quality control, value addition and agribusiness.
Therefore, my core message is that agriculture can create wealth if approached with planning, technical knowledge and commercial thinking,” he said.