Uganda Overtakes Vietnam as Second Largest Coffee Supplier To Italy

Uganda in August 2021 overtook Vietnam as the second-largest supplier of coffee to Italy behind Brazil, Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) has said.

“This year, Uganda Coffee exports have increased to their highest level in three decades. Uganda coffee is now highly sought after globally because of its quality and unique attributes,” UCDA said in a tweet.

Uganda’s coffee exports for the 12 months (September 2020-August 2021) amounted to 6,414,696 60-kilo bags worth US$ 607.81 million compared to 5,216,608-kilo bags valued at US$ 502.24 million the previous year (September 2019-August 2020). This represents 22.97% and 21.02% increase in both quantity and value respectively.

The total export quantity in 12 months was the highest in 30 years.

The increase in coffee exports are due to newly planted Robusta coffee which started yielding supported by favorable weather.

This has been further boosted by a positive trend in global coffee prices after Brazil faced the threat of frost and drought, which prompted exporters to release their stocks.

With Brazil and Vietnam having had trouble exporting amid shipping disruptions, European buyers have increased uptake from other coffee growers including Uganda.

Uganda is Africa’s biggest coffee exporter and the continent’s second-largest producer of the beans after Ethiopia. President Yoweri Museveni’s administration has overseen the planting of millions of new trees in recent years as part of plans to increase annual output to 20 million bags by 2025.

It should also be noted that a few years ago Uganda replaced India as the third largest supplier of coffee to Italy.

Europe accounts for about 60% of Uganda’s coffee exports and Italy has maintained the highest market share of coffee exports from Uganda. Over 30% of Uganda’s coffee exports go to Italy.