Uganda exported 4.46 60-kilogram bags million bags of coffee in the period July 2017 to June 2018), fetching the country US $492 million, the Uganda Coffee Development Authority says in the latest report for June.
The figures showed an increase of 6.46 per cent and 0.45 per cent in quantity and value respectively, when compared to those realized in the previous period.
However, coffee exports in June 2018 comprised 320,339 60-kilo bags worth US $33.60 million. The country exported 254,822 bags of Robusta worth US$25.43 million and 65,517 bags of Arabica worth US $8.16 million. However, the June 2018 figures posted a decrease of 25.60 per cent and 32.25 per cent in quantity and value respectively from the same month last year.
The destinations of Uganda’s coffee exports during the month of June 2018 shows that exports to the European Union (EU) countries amounted to 201,931 bags lower than 205,215 bags exported in the previous month. This represented a 63.04 per cent of total exports.
EU was followed by Sudan with 43,640 bags (13.62 per cent) compared to 34,990 bags (10.97 per cent) in the previous month. India imported 21,106 (6.59 per cent) compared to 21,898 (6.86 per cent) in the previous month.
The USA imported 15,369 bags (4.80 per cent) compared to 16,500 (5.17 per cent) in the previous month while Morocco imported 12,968 (4.05 per cent) compared to 8,634 (2.71 per cent) in May.
Coffee exports to Africa amounted to 60,100 bags, a market share of 18.76 per cent compared to 48,095 (15.08 per cent) bags the previous month.
Coffee exports in the month of July is projected to be 378,000 bags since the main season in Masaka and South Western regions is at its tail end.
Global analysis
Coffee exports for May 2018 were 9.27 million bags, which was 12.4 per cent lower compared to May 2017. Total exports for the first eight months of coffee year 2017/18 were 79.95 million bags, which was a decrease of 0.5 per cent.
The 2017/18 global production is still estimated at 158.56 million bags compared to 159.05 million bags, a decrease of 0.3 per cent from last year. Arabica production is estimated to reduce by 6.6 per cent to 97.16 million bags while Robusta is projected to increase by 11.5 per cent to 61.40 million bags.
Africa’s production is expected to increase by 5.3 per cent from last year with an output of 17.30 million bags. Global consumption is projected to increase by 1.3 per cent at 159.92 million bags with major increases noted in Asia and Oceania countries and South America.
Planting
The report shows that a total 240,425,353 coffee seedlings were available for planting in the five coffee growing regions in first planting season of 2017/2018 (March and May 2018), of which 189,201 seedlings were allocated and 163,085,239 of them confirmed planted.
Comparing with the last coffee planting season September/ November 2017, a total of 131,019,698 coffee seedlings were planted in 102 coffee growing districts out of the 157,063,064 coffee seedlings that were available in the 2,089 nurseries.