Dry spell boosts coffee export volumes
A farmer picks ripe coffee berries.
What you need to know:
Volume and value increased by 2.1 and 0.95 per cent respectively
Kampala. Despite the dry spell making some crops wither, coffee farmers are happy because the weather has triggered bean ripening, a situation that has seen volumes increase.
According to the latest report from the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) for the month ending December 2014, the country saw a 2.1 percent and 0.95 percent increase in both volumes and value.
The report says: “In December 2014 a total of 224,803 60-kilogramme bags were exported up from 219,948 60-kilogramme bags exported in November”.
“The coffee exports in December earned the country $29.78 million (about Shs86.3 billion) up from $29.4 million (about Shs85.5 billion) earned in November,” the report adds.
During the same month, the fourth on the coffee calendar, a total of 176,711 bags of Robusta, the country’s leading species, were exported and yielded $20.62 million (about Shs59.7 billion).
48,092 bags of Arabica coffee, mostly grown in the highland areas of Mountain Elgon and Rwenzori, were put on the international market, earning the country $9.16 million (about Shs26.5 billion).
Robusta exports decreased by 12.38 per cent in volume and increased by 8.51 per cent in terms of value compared to the same period last year 2013/14. Similarly, Arabica exports decreased by 13.669 percent in volume and increased by 47.37 per cent in value compared to last year.
However, on a year-on-year basis, coffee exports for calendar year 2014 totalled 3.44 million bags worth $409 million (Shs1.1 trillion) compared to 3.67 million bags worth $424 million (Shs1.2 trillion) in calendar 2013.
UCDA projects that in January, at least 230,000 bags will be posted at the international market.
