Uganda and Coffee

Uganda is Africa's second-largest coffee producer after Ethiopia and a major coffee exporter worldwide. Around 70% of the population works in the agricultural sector, with coffee being the main source of income for numerous family farms. Uganda primarily produces Robusta coffee, which accounts for approximately 80-85% of total production, while Arabica accounts for around 15-20%. Coffee is mainly grown by smallholder farmers on small farms (average size of about 0.18 hectares). Robusta grows wild in the Lake Victoria region, while Arabica is cultivated primarily in the highland regions around Mount Elgon and the Rwenzori Mountains. Coffee quality has improved in recent years, so Ugandan coffee often ranks third behind Ethiopia and Kenya in global coffee tastings. The Ugandan coffee industry is important for farmers' incomes; coffee often provides more than half of household income despite accounting for only about 20% of the farm's land area. The sector is currently undergoing modernization with improved cultivation methods and processing facilities to increase both quality and production volume. Uganda's coffee production is expected to reach 6.88 million 60-kg bags in 2025/26, an increase of approximately 2.6% over the previous year, with exports continuing to grow. These facts highlight the central importance of coffee to Uganda's economy and rural society, as well as recent progress in the sector. Uganda's coffee export revenue nearly doubled last year to US$2.22 billion: Uganda became Africa's largest coffee exporter in June. The reasons for this include: - drought-related production problems in Brazil and Vietnam, which led to record-high coffee prices worldwide, - good weather, - long-term investments in reforestation, - farmer training, - value chain development. In addition, US President Trump's global tariff threats could create additional opportunities for African coffee producers such as Uganda, Ethiopia, and Rwanda, as they impose lower tariffs than some of their competitors, experts say. @https://www.cirad.fr/en/cirad-news/news/2024/report-on-coffee-growers-in-uganda @https://weaverscoffee.com/blogs/blog/uganda-and-coffee https://blog.genuineorigin.com/2024/03/uganda-coffee-report-2024-unlocking-coffee-excellence/ @https://www.ugandacoffee.go.ug/node/3 @https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_production_in_Uganda https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/business-tech/when-the-beans-break-hearts-the-pain-of-uganda-s-coffee-farmers-5140080 @https://www.fas.usda.gov/data/uganda-coffee-annual-9 @https://espressocoffeeguide.com/gourmet-coffee/arabian-and-african-coffees/uganda-coffee/ @https://www.beveragedaily.com/Article/2025/06/10/uganda-taps-into-specialty-coffee-sustainability-trends-with-robusta/ @https://www.volcafe.com/network/uganda @https://ugandacoffeefederation.org/resource-center/uganda-coffee-industry/