How Masaka, South-West Regions Fuel Coffee Exports to Shs780 Billion

Discover how Masaka and South-Western regions, alongside top exporters, propelled Uganda's coffee exports to over UGX 780 billion in April. — Discover how Masaka and South-Western regions, alongside top exporters, propelled Uganda’s coffee exports to over UGX 780 billion in April.

KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda’s coffee exports soared in April 2025, with earnings reaching more than double the value from the same period last year, driven by a strong harvest, particularly from the Masaka and southwestern regions, and favorable global prices. The East African nation exported 694,318 60-kilo bags of coffee valued at US$214.38 million, equivalent to approximately 780.24 billion Ugandan Shillings (UGX), according to the latest monthly report from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF).

This represents a substantial 152.56% increase in value and a 77.44% increase in quantity compared to April 2024. The average export price for April 2025 stood at US$5.15 per kilogram, a US cent higher than March 2025 and US$1.53 higher than April 2024.

Kampala residents face a Saturday water outage as NWSC conducts essential maintenance at the Ggaba Water Treatment Plant and key reservoirs. Prepare for interruptions.

For the full coffee year spanning May 2024 to April 2025, Uganda exported a total of 7.17 million bags valued at US$1.97 billion, or approximately 7.17 trillion UGX. This marks a 94.64% increase in value and a 21.70% increase in quantity compared to the previous coffee year (May 2023-April 2024), which saw 5.90 million bags worth US$1.01 billion exported.

The significant rise in export volume is attributed to a good crop from the main harvest in the Masaka and southwestern regions. Additionally, high global coffee prices, fueled by dry conditions in Brazil and Vietnam—the world’s largest producers of Arabica and Robusta coffee, respectively—also contributed to the increased earnings by creating uncertainty in global supply.

Robusta coffee dominated exports in April 2025, accounting for 594,188 bags valued at US$177.08 million (approximately 644.57 billion UGX). Robusta exports saw a 187.61% increase in value and a 104.63% increase in quantity compared to April 2024. Arabica exports totaled 100,130 bags valued at US$37.30 million (approximately 135.81 billion UGX), experiencing a 60% increase in value despite a slight 0.8% decrease in quantity year-on-year.

Europe remained the primary destination for Uganda’s coffee, accounting for 71% of imports. Italy maintained the largest market share at 42.02%, followed by Germany at 11.30%, Spain at 7.46%, India at 6.79%, and Sudan at 4.72%. African countries combined accounted for an 11% market share.

Ugacof (U) Ltd. was the leading exporter in April 2025 with a 12.58% market share. The top 10 exporters collectively held 68.43% of the total volume, a slight increase from March 2025, indicating continued competition among exporters.