Uganda to launch coffee traceability system as government intensifies export-led agriculture strategy

UGANDA – Uganda is set to introduce a coffee traceability system while increasing investment in irrigation, fertiliser use, agricultural financing and extension services as part of a broader strategy to transform agriculture into a major driver of export earnings. 

Speaking on the government’s economic priorities, Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury Ramathan Ggoobi said Uganda is implementing measures aimed at improving the quality, productivity and traceability of key agricultural commodities to strengthen the country’s position in international markets. 

“Here on coffee we are actually doing an online export system. We are developing and we are having an online export system under the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries so that all our coffee is traceable,” Ggoobi said. 

According to Ggoobi, the new system will enable authorities to track coffee from production through processing and export, helping Uganda meet international market requirements and enhance the competitiveness of its coffee sector. 

The initiative forms part of the government’s wider export-led growth agenda under the 2026/27 budget theme, “Full Monetization of Uganda’s Economy through Commercial Agriculture, Industrialization, Expanding and Broadening Services, Digital Transformation and Market Access.” 

Ggoobi emphasized that increasing export revenues remains a key objective of the government’s agricultural strategy. 

“We must be producing for export. The eating here is bonus but we want dollars to come from coffee, from fruits and vegetables. We want to start exporting beef,” he said. 

To support this goal, the government is increasing investment in irrigation infrastructure and promoting greater use of fertilisers to improve agricultural productivity and reduce reliance on rainfall.  

Additional financing is also being directed toward farmers to support production and commercialization efforts. 

Ggoobi said strengthening agricultural extension services is another critical component of the reforms. The government plans to ensure extension workers provide direct support to farmers in their communities rather than relying primarily on mass media channels. 

“We want the extension workers to go to the farmers in the garden, not to do extension on television or radio,” he said. 

The government is also enhancing inspection and quality assurance systems to ensure agricultural inputs supplied to farmers meet required standards and contribute to improved yields. 

Ggoobi said the reforms align with the government’s broader development framework built around priority sectors known as “ATMs” — agro-industrialisation, tourism and mineral development — supported by science, technology and innovation. 

“Our budget is about driving Uganda into the tenfold growth. It’s about ATMs and their enablers,” he said. 

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