Uganda May coffee exports drop by 19%
Jun 08, 2010
KAMPALA-Uganda has lowered its coffee export forecast for the 2009/10 October - September season further to about 2.8 million bags as adverse weather takes a toll on yields, the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) said Monday.
KAMPALA-Uganda has lowered its coffee export forecast for the 2009/10 October - September season further to about 2.8 million bags as adverse weather takes a toll on yields, the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) said Monday.
The body also said exports plunged 19.6% to 177,300 60-kg bags in May compared with the same last year due to the lingering effects of last year’s drought, followed by heavy rains.
“The drought we had last year is still affecting the yields,†a UCDA official told Reuters. “Although we got good rains this year, they also ended up delaying the ripening and drying process in the western region and so the harvest from there is not as good as had been expected.â€
UCDA had earlier forecast the 2009/10 exports to come in at 3.05 million bags. Uganda is one of Africa’s leading exporters of the beans and their earnings constitute a major source its foreign exchange inflows.
According to the UCDA official, Uganda shipped a total 220,620 bags in the same month in 2009. Western Uganda, which is nearing its peak season, accounts for about 45% of the country’s entire coffee output while eastern and central Uganda produce the rest.
On a monthly basis, May’s exports were down 14% from April’s 152,640 bags. UCDA had forecast May exports would stand at about 220,000 bags.
UCDA expects coffee yields in the second half of the coffee year to peak in June-July, boosted by harvests from western Uganda.
Uganda exported a total of 1.61 million bags in the first seven months of the 2009/10 season valued at $155m, which was 13.5% and 14.7% down in volume and value respectively compared with the similar period last year.
David Barry, managing director of Kyagalanyi Coffee, told Reuters that although this year’s heavy downpour was good during the crop’s early stages, there was a downside.
“Heavy rains are slowing the ripening of cherries and also affecting the quality because beans can’t dry properly,†he said aid.
Reuters
The body also said exports plunged 19.6% to 177,300 60-kg bags in May compared with the same last year due to the lingering effects of last year’s drought, followed by heavy rains.
“The drought we had last year is still affecting the yields,†a UCDA official told Reuters. “Although we got good rains this year, they also ended up delaying the ripening and drying process in the western region and so the harvest from there is not as good as had been expected.â€
UCDA had earlier forecast the 2009/10 exports to come in at 3.05 million bags. Uganda is one of Africa’s leading exporters of the beans and their earnings constitute a major source its foreign exchange inflows.
According to the UCDA official, Uganda shipped a total 220,620 bags in the same month in 2009. Western Uganda, which is nearing its peak season, accounts for about 45% of the country’s entire coffee output while eastern and central Uganda produce the rest.
On a monthly basis, May’s exports were down 14% from April’s 152,640 bags. UCDA had forecast May exports would stand at about 220,000 bags.
UCDA expects coffee yields in the second half of the coffee year to peak in June-July, boosted by harvests from western Uganda.
Uganda exported a total of 1.61 million bags in the first seven months of the 2009/10 season valued at $155m, which was 13.5% and 14.7% down in volume and value respectively compared with the similar period last year.
David Barry, managing director of Kyagalanyi Coffee, told Reuters that although this year’s heavy downpour was good during the crop’s early stages, there was a downside.
“Heavy rains are slowing the ripening of cherries and also affecting the quality because beans can’t dry properly,†he said aid.
Reuters