Uganda researchers launch study on wild coffee species
Last year, 2025, Uganda’s coffee earnings increased to 8.4 million 60-kilogramme bags valued at 2.4 billion dollars, the highest the country has ever earned.
According to NARO, the Wild coffee (Pictured) varieties are drought tolerant, making it suitable for the changing weather, fruits throughout the year, which allows farmers to harvest more times, and that means more income from coffee.
WAKISO - Researchers at Makerere University have partnered with the National Agriculture Research Organisation (NARO) to conduct research on Wild Coffee, known as excels, known to most farming communities as Kisansa.
Uganda Wildlife Authority and Kyagalanyi coffee have also assembled teams to join the reach team.
According to NARO, the Wild coffee varieties are drought tolerant, making it suitable for the changing weather, fruits throughout the year, which allows farmers to harvest more times, and that means more income from coffee.
The coffee species is found in a few locations, including the Zoka Central Forest Reserve in Wakiso.
Preliminary research reports indicate that a farmer is able to harvest 5kilograms of coffee from one tree per season, in two seasons, that is about 10kgs per tree.
From one acre, the 225 coffee trees are likely to harvest 2250 kg of coffee.
Commenting on the development, Gerald Katabzi, a coffee roaster and exporter under Volcano coffee, said that the wild coffee is already trending in other markets, like in Europe and Austria, adding that he roasts some coffee quarterly.
Excels is the third coffee type in Uganda after Arabica and Robusta, which have been Uganda’s major foreign earners.
Last year, 2025, Uganda’s coffee earnings increased to 8.4 million 60-kilogramme bags valued at 2.4 billion dollars, the highest the country has ever earned.