Top Buyers & Consumers Of Uganda Coffee Named

Uganda produces unique and high quality coffee

Uganda is Africa’s leading coffee exporter. However, the East African country is the second largest coffee producer in Africa after Ethiopia.

Uganda exports most of her coffee because domestic consumption is still low-albeit growing.

On the other hand, Ethiopians consume more than half of their domestic production, often in coffee-drinking ceremonies.

Through the Coffee Roadmap, Uganda aims to overtake Ethiopia as the continent’s largest coffee producer by increasing production to 20m 60kg bags by 2030.

Uganda’s coffee production has increased by 86% from 4.5m bags in FY2015/16 to 8.4m bags in FY 2021/22.

But who’s buying and consuming?

Italy has for a long time remained the top consumer of Uganda’s coffee. According to Uganda Coffee Development Authority’s Monthly report for August 2022, Italy remained the top destination for Uganda’s coffee, with the highest market share of 39.67% compared with 40.62% last month.

It was followed by Germany 13.83% (8.77%), Sudan 10.20% (13.78%), India 7.75% (7.48%) and Belgium 5.62% (5.38%).

It’s important to note that the figures in brackets represent percentage market share held in July 2022.

According to the report, coffee exports to Africa amounted to 93,988 bags, a market share of 19% compared to 118,694 bags (21%) the previous month. African countries that imported Uganda coffee included Algeria, Sudan, Morocco, Tunisia, South Africa, Somalia, Egypt, Libya and Kenya. Europe remained the main destination for Uganda’s coffees with a 67% imports share higher than 61% in July 2022.

Foreign buyers of Uganda Coffee

The top 10 buyers of Uganda’s coffees have almost remained the same for a long time, but have kept changing positions.

According to UCDA’s August report, the top 10 buyers held a market share of 72% of total exports higher than 65% the previous month, reflecting increasing concentration.

Sucafina led with a market share of 16.41% compared to 10.25% in July 2022. It was followed by Touton Genève 11.95% (7.09%); Olam International 10.59%(12.35%); Volcafe 8.34% (5.49%), Louis Dreyfus 6.30% (7.54%); Bernhard Rothfos 4.76% (6.04%); Ecom Agro industrialist 4.60%; (4.95%) Altasheel Import & Export Enterprises 4.47% (5.04%), Bercher Coffee Consulting 2.55% (1.28%) and Icona Café 2.38% (1.75%).

Importantly, the figures in brackets represent percentage performance in the previous month – July 2022.

“There were changes in relative position of the first ten major buyers reflecting increasing demand for Uganda coffee abroad,” the report reads in part.

Uganda’s coffee exports in August 2022 amounted to 501,054 60-kilo bags worth US$ 71.15 million (Shs273bn), according to UCDA.

This comprised 456,271 bags of Robusta valued at US $60.26 million and 44,783 bags of Arabica valued at US$ 10.89 million. This was a decrease of 28.52% and 5.25% in quantity and value respectively compared to the same month last year.

By comparing quantity of coffee exported by type in the same month of last Coffee Year (August 2021), Robusta decreased by 28.31 % and 7.65% in quantity and value respectively.

Arabica exports decreased by 30.60% in quantity but increased by 10.59% in value.

“The decrease in exports was mainly attributed to lower yields this year that were characterized by drought in most regions. This led to a shorter main harvest season in Central and Eastern regions and also reduced harvests from Greater Masaka and South-Western regions,” the UCDA report says.

It adds that coffee exports for 12 months (September 2021- August 2022) totaled 5.93 million bags worth US$ 871.76 million compared to 6.41 million bags worth US$ 607.82 million the previous year (September 2020-August 2021).

This represents a decrease of 7.49% in quantity but an increase of 43.43 % value.