After declining by 2.5 per cent in the year 2015/16, Uganda’s coffee production expanded in 2016/17 rose by 2.8 per cent to 5.1 million bags in 2017/18, the International Coffee Organisation (ICO) has said in its report for the month of July.
Exports for October 2017 through June 2018 decreased by 2.7 per cent, to 3.32 million bags, for Uganda compared to the same period one year ago, says the latest ICO report.
The report says Africa’s output in 2017/18 is estimated 5.3 percent higher at 17.63 million bags with production anticipated to increase in the region’s two largest producers, Ethiopia and Uganda.
The report says Ethiopia’s coffee output has grown steadily in the last five crop years, and is estimated at 7.65 million bags in 2017/18, up 4.8 per cent on 2016/17.
Compared to June 2017, the report says, shipments from both Ethiopia and Uganda declined in June 2018 by 14.8 per cent to 0.4 million bags and 25.6 per cent to 0.32 million bags, respectively.
The report puts world production in 2017/18 at an estimated 158.56 million bags, 0.3 per cent lower than last year. Arabica output is estimated 6.6 percent lower, at 97.16 million bags, while Robusta production is estimated at 61.4 million bags, 11.5 per cent higher than 2016/17.
Globally, according to the report, total exports in June 2018 amounted to 10.45 million bags, 2.6 per cent higher than in the same month one year ago, led by an increase of 7.9 per cent to 3.95 million bags for Robusta. However, total Arabica shipments in June 2018 fell by 0.4 per cent, to 6.51 million bags.
According to the report, total coffee exports for October 2017 through June 2018 were 0.3 per cent higher than those in the same period one year ago. ICO attributes the growth to increased shipments of Robusta, which reached 33.8 million bags, 3.6 per cent higher than one year ago. In contrast, Arabica shipments declined by 1.5 percent to 57.06 million bags in the first nine months of coffee year 2017/18.
It says coffee prices have fallen consistently over the course of coffee year 2017/18, with decreases recorded in seven out of the last ten months.