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Uganda’s April coffee shipments jump 77% on bumper harvest - REUTERS
BY Elias Biryabarema
KAMPALA, June 2 (Reuters) – Uganda’s coffee exports in April jumped 77.6% from volumes shipped in the same period a year earlier, helped by bumper crops in two regions, the agriculture ministry said on Monday.
Uganda is Africa’s largest exporter of coffee beans, which provide a significant source of foreign exchange for the East African country.
Exports in April rose to 694,318 60kg bags, from 390,977 bags shipped in same month last year, the ministry of agriculture, animal industry and fisheries (MAAIF) said in its report.
The jump was aided by “good crop” in central and southwestern regions, the report said.
Uganda’s bean shipments have surged in recent months, driven by rising production and farmers and traders releasing larger quantities to profit from high prices.
Global prices have reached record highs in recent months in response to problems including droughts affecting major producers Brazil and Vietnam. Prices soared by 70% last year.
Uganda earned nearly $2 billion from coffee exports in the 12 months to April, up from about $1 billion in the previous 12-month period, ministry data shows.
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(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Alessandro Parodi and David Goodman)
