KAMPALA (Reuters) – Uganda’s coffee exports declined 24% year-on-year in April as a drought in some parts of the country cut yields, the state-run sector regulator Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) said on Monday.
The east African country shipped a total of 407,762 60-kilogram bags, down 24% compared with the same month last year, UCDA said in a report.
The value of the coffee was $70.9 million, up 42% when compared with April 2021.
The surge in value was on account of higher international coffee prices, UCDA said.
Referring to the drop in quantity of volumes exported, UCDA said: “The decrease … was mainly attributed to lower yields this year that were characterised by drought in some regions.
This led to a shorter main harvest season.”
Uganda is Africa’s largest coffee exporter followed by Ethiopia and the commodity is a leading foreign exchange earner.
(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by George Obulutsa)
