Uganda has officially emerged as Africa’s leading coffee exporter, achieving a remarkable milestone by surpassing Ethiopia with a record 47,606.7 tones (equivalent to 793,445 60kg bags) shipped in May 2025, despite the current global price fluctuations.
This historic achievement is a pivotal shift in the continent’s coffee trade dynamics and highlights Uganda’s growing prowess in the global market. The latest figures, reported by Africa View Facts, reveal a staggering 43.6% increase in export volume compared to May 2024, demonstrating robust growth in Uganda’s coffee sector.
The earnings for May alone reached an impressive US$243.9 million, contributing to a cumulative annual export revenue of US$2.09 billion over the past year (June 2024 to May 2025). During these twelve months, Uganda exported a total of 7.43 million bags of coffee.
This surge in exports positions Uganda as a dominant force, with its May 2025 volume decisively exceeding Ethiopia’s reported 43,481 tonnes for the same month. Ugandan coffee continues to find strong demand in international markets, with Europe leading as the primary destination.
Italy alone accounted for a significant 39% of Uganda’s total coffee exports in May, while the broader European market collectively absorbed 67%. African countries represented 18% of the export share, and Asian markets took 13%.
Government Efforts Commended
This impressive performance is largely attributed to several strategic factors put in place by the government to boost coffee production, including enhanced quality standards, robust support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), extensive farmer training programs, and improved access to high-quality inputs.
These efforts have elevated the reputation of Ugandan coffee, making it highly prized for its superior quality and distinctive flavour profiles on the global stage.
Coffee Development Roadmap
This record-breaking achievement aligns with the government’s ambitious “Coffee Roadmap” target, which aims to produce 20 million 60kg bags by 2030 and generate annual revenues of USD 1.5 billion.
The recent success not only reinforces Uganda’s competitive edge but also showcases the tangible progress being made towards this vision.
The Future is Bright
The increased export earnings are also providing a significant boost to Uganda’s overall trade balance, driven by favourable international coffee prices, which have seen a surge due to dry weather conditions in major producing regions like Brazil and Vietnam. This global supply disruption has created a strategic opportunity for Uganda to expand its market share and capitalise on higher prices.
Minister Reassures Farmers
Following this development, the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, has since reassured farmers about the fluctuating coffee prices, noting that this is temporary and that the prices will stabilize soon.
“In the past one month, we have witnessed declining coffee prices in Uganda as a result of a global reduction in coffee prices,” Hon. Tumwebaze said in a statement issued by the Ministry. “It is important to note that the high prices observed over the past two years were due to a combination of factors, including increased global demand, adverse weather conditions affecting production, and rising costs throughout the supply chain. Droughts, floods and extreme temperatures in key coffee-growing regions like Brazil and Vietnam had negatively impacted coffee yields, reducing the amount of coffee available for export,” he added, noting that this situation affected mostly Robusta coffee hence making our Robusta highly demanded globally, thus the high prices farmers and other value chain actors have enjoyed until recently.
As Uganda continues to invest in its coffee value chain and promote sustainable practices, therefore, the country is well-positioned to maintain its momentum and further solidify its standing as a key player in the global coffee industry, benefiting thousands of smallholder farmers and contributing significantly to the national economy.