Uganda Emerges as Africa’s Top Coffee Exporter

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Last year, extreme weather and climate events caused harvests across many coffee-producing countries to fall, helping to push the worldwide commodity coffee price to record highs.

This year is looking better: A recent report by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) found that world coffee production has recovered, especially in Ethiopia and Uganda, whose coffee exports have both soared over the past year. While Ethiopia’s exports have reached record highs, and it has been Africa’s largest producer for many years, Uganda managed to surpass its export numbers in May.

Uganda has almost doubled its coffee production over the past 10 years, according to the USDA, mostly in the form of robusta. In May 2025, the country exported nearly 48,000 tons of coffee, compared to Ethiopia’s almost 43,500 tons, Uganda’s agriculture ministry said in a report.

This signifies “a decisive shift in the continent’s coffee trade dynamics,” the ministry said. It put the increase down to “enhanced quality standards” and initiatives like farmer training programs, and said it expects production to increase still further as the main coffee harvest season begins.

Read the full story about Uganda’s rising production here.

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Fionn Pooler

Fionn Pooler is a coffee roaster and freelance writer currently based in the Scottish Highlands who has worked in the specialty coffee industry for over a decade. Since 2016 he has written the Pourover, a newsletter and blog that uses interviews and critical analysis to explore coffee’s place in the wider, changing world (and also yell at corporations).

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