Uganda coffee, cocoa exports see sharp rise

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Uganda’s coffee and cocoa exports saw a sharp rise in March from a year earlier, the latest official figures indicate.

The finance ministry report on the performance of the economy for April 2025 says coffee exports surged by $133.89m or about sh488b (206.8%), increasing from $64.74m (sh236.38b) to $198.62m (sh725.2b).

This growth was attributed to higher international coffee prices and increased export volumes.

The report indicates that global coffee prices rose from $3.27/kg in March 2024 to $5.15/kg in March 2025, largely due to the dry conditions in Brazil and Vietnam (the world’s largest producers of Arabica and Robusta coffee), which fuelled market expectations of a tighter global supply.

Uganda’s export volumes also increased from 334,556 to 642,981 sixty-kilogramme bags, supported by higher yields for both Robusta and Arabica coffee, partly reflecting the Government’s strategic efforts to boost coffee production.

Italy remained Uganda’s leading coffee export destination in March 2025, accounting for 38.43% of the total exports.

It was followed by India (8.92%), Germany (6.89%), Spain (6.06%) and Sudan (5.72%).

Similarly, in March 2025, export earnings from cocoa beans rose by 71.7%, from $39.27m (sh143.36b) to $67.42m (sh246.13b), while mineral products increased by 42.4%, from $270.42m (sh987.36b) to $385.08m (sh1.4 trillion) over the same period.

Fish and its products also registered growth of 22.5%, increasing from $9.82m (sh35.8b) to $12.04m (sh43.9b), while sugar exports grew by 31.2%, from $11.73m (sh42.8b) to $15.39m (sh56.18b)