Africa’s coffee exports dropped by 24.1 percent in May 2026, largely driven by reduced shipments from Uganda and Ethiopia, according to the latest Coffee Market Report by the International Coffee Organization (ICO).
The report shows that exports of all forms of coffee from Africa declined to 1.63 million bags in May 2026, down from 2.15 million bags recorded during the same month in 2025.
The decline was mainly attributed to Uganda and Ethiopia, which together exported an estimated 1.31 million bags in May 2026 compared with 1.77 million bags in May 2025, representing a 26 percent drop.
The ICO said the sharp decline was partly due to a base effect, as May 2025 marked the highest ever May export volumes recorded by both countries.
“The May 2025 figures represented the highest May export volumes on record” for both Ethiopia and Uganda, the report noted, making comparisons with the current year’s performance more challenging.
Uganda and Ethiopia recorded their strongest export performance during coffee year 2024/25, boosted by favourable harvests and increased release of coffee stocks following a surge in global coffee prices.
In Uganda, the Ministry of Agriculture attributed the record export volumes registered in May 2025 to a strong main harvest from the Masaka and south-western coffee-growing regions.
However, the incentive for exporters and farmers to release additional stocks has reduced in the current coffee year, with the ICO Composite Indicator Price (I-CIP) in May 2026 standing 23.4 percent lower than it was a year earlier.
Globally, coffee exports also recorded a decline, although at a slower pace. Total exports of all forms of coffee fell by 3.2 percent to 12.38 million bags in May 2026, compared with 12.78 million bags in May 2025.
The ICO said coffee export trends during the first eight months of coffee year 2025/26 have been mixed, but largely returned to normal seasonal patterns after the unusual movements experienced in the previous coffee year.
“The movements of the four regions in May 2026 were mixed,” the report said, noting that exports from Africa and the Caribbean, Central America and Mexico declined, while shipments from Asia and Oceania and South America increased.
Green coffee bean exports also weakened, falling by 4.1 percent to 10.8 million bags in May 2026 from 11.26 million bags in May 2025.
The decline was mainly driven by Arabica coffee, whose exports have fallen for 13 consecutive months since April 2025. Arabica shipments dropped by 9.3 percent in May 2026, bringing exports during the first eight months of the coffee year down by 6.9 percent.
Arabica exports declined to 6.46 million bags in May 2026 from 7.12 million bags a year earlier, reducing their share of global green bean exports.
Meanwhile, Robusta coffee exports increased by 4.8 percent to 4.34 million bags in May 2026, up from 4.14 million bags in May 2025.
The growth was largely driven by Brazil, where Robusta exports surged by 195.6 percent to 610,000 bags due to differences in harvest timing between the two coffee years.
“The sharp increase reflects differences in the timing of the current and previous Robusta harvests,” the ICO explained.
Beyond green coffee, soluble coffee exports rose by 3.6 percent to 1.51 million bags in May 2026, with Vietnam, Brazil and India emerging as the leading exporters.
Roasted coffee exports also increased by 10.8 percent during the month, reaching 70,000 bags compared with 60,000 bags in May 2025.
Despite the fluctuations, green beans remained the dominant coffee export category, accounting for 86.5 percent of global coffee exports during the first eight months of coffee year 2025/26. Soluble coffee accounted for 13 percent, while roasted coffee made up 0.5 percent of total exports.
