Uganda’s coffee production, exports set to rise in 2025/26 as China market booms 

UGANDA – Uganda’s coffee production is projected to rise in the 2025/26 marketing year, reaching an estimated 6.88 million 60-kilogram bags, according to the latest figures from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).  

This marks a 2.6% increase over the previous season and is driven by favorable weather conditions, maturing improved seedlings, and a national initiative offering low-interest loans to farmers. 

Robusta coffee remains Uganda’s dominant crop, expected to account for approximately 85% of total output, or 5.82 million bags. Arabica coffee is forecast at 1.06 million bags, making up the remaining 15%. 

Coffee exports are projected to grow by 2.8% year-on-year, reaching 6.53 million bags. The European Union continues to be Uganda’s largest export destination, followed by the United States, Morocco, India, and China.  

Although domestic consumption is anticipated to rise slightly to 330,000 bags, the export market continues to be the primary driver of sector expansion, bolstered by favorable commodity prices. 

In the previous crop year, Uganda’s coffee exports generated US$1.4 billion, a significant jump from US$550 million just seven years earlier. The continued growth supports Uganda’s long-term strategic goal of increasing production to 20 million bags annually by 2030. 

Uganda’s coffee trade with China has seen remarkable growth, with exports to the Asian nation rising by 190% as of March 2025. The country exported 35,532 bags of coffee to China in March, up from 12,264 bags in February, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. 

This surge was spotlighted during the 1st Uganda-China Coffee Awareness Tour, which concluded with the inaugural Uganda-China Coffee Trade and Investment Meeting.  

The tour, which began on May 12, took stakeholders through Uganda’s key coffee-producing regions such as Masaka, Mbarara, and Mbale.  

The initiative aimed to raise awareness, forge partnerships, and attract investment into Uganda’s rapidly growing coffee sector. 

Uganda’s Ambassador to China, Oliver Wonekha, emphasized the strategic nature of the partnership and reiterated the Embassy’s commitment to facilitating trade, improving market access, and advancing technology transfer to strengthen Uganda’s position in global coffee markets. 

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