Uganda says coffee exports down 14% yr/yr due to drought
KAMPALA, Oct 19 (Reuters) – Uganda’s coffee exports declined last month due to the impact of a drought affecting many growing areas across the country, the state-run sector regulator said.
The east African country shipped a total of 503,695 60-kg bags of coffee beans in September, down 14% compared with the same period a year earlier, Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) said in a report.
“The decrease in exports was mainly attributed to lower yields this year that were characterised by drought in most regions,” UCDA said, adding the dry conditions had resulted in a shorter harvest season in central and eastern Uganda.
Uganda is Africa’s largest exporter of coffee, followed by Ethiopia, and relies on earnings from the crop as a major source of foreign exchange.
September is the last month of the crop year, which starts the previous October.
In the 2021-2022 (Oct- Sept) crop year, Uganda exported 5.9
million bags that fetched $876 million, down from 6.5 million
bags worth $630.01 million.
Some years earnings are higher despite a decline in volumes, because of rises in international coffee prices.
(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by George Obulutsa and Estelle Shirbon)
((Email:elias.biryabarema@thomsonreuters.com; Tel. +254 20 499 1232; Reuters Messaging: elias.biryabarema.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
(Source: https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/uganda-says-coffee-exports-down-14-yr-yr-due-to-drought )