Nusura Tiperu Ambassador-Designate of the Republic of Uganda to the Republic of Türkiye delivering her remarks at the event
Uganda is looking to expand its exports to one of the biggest coffee markets in the world, Turkey.
Uganda’s post COVID-19 production has been good and it plans to expand its production in the forthcoming years, especially for organic coffee beans.
Uganda is the second-largest African producer and seventh-largest producer globally of coffee beans, producing both the Arabica and Robusta variety.
Coffee is the country’s biggest export crop.
On Weekend, Uganda’s Ambassador to Ankara-Turkey, Nusura Tiperu conjunction with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) held a Coffee Cupping and Tasting Session at Walker’s Coffee House in Ankara.
Uganda sought to increase and promote awareness about Ugandan Coffee among the Turkush importers and consumers.
Uganda Coffee Exports to Turkey currently stand at 3000 bags monthly.
Coffee cupping or cup tasting is how coffee is tasted by producers and buyers around the world to check the quality of a batch of coffee.
Ms. Nusura Tiperu highlighted that Coffee is one of Uganda’s main cash crop and the biggest foreign exchange earner being among the top five products exported from Uganda.
Coffee accounts for about 13-15% of total export earnings and is the second highest foreign exchange earner for the country.
She further explained that this mandate to promote economic and commercial diplomacy requires the Embassy to ensure that Uganda products are promoted, tangibly and stocked on the shelves of stores in and Ugandan coffee served in numerous Turkish restaurants and cities of Istanbul, Antalya, Ismir, Bursa to mention but a few.
The Ambassador further observed that Uganda has experienced growth in the coffee industry, making it the largest exporter of coffee by volumes.
Uganda is also the leading producer of Robasta and second largest producer of Arabica coffee, after Ethiopia, in Africa.
‘Uganda is not only a good place to do business, but one in which an investor will get the highest return on their investment’, she emphasized.
According to the Uganda Coffee Development Authority, Uganda grows 2 types of coffee: Robusta and Arabica in the ratio of 4:1. Arabica is grown at altitudes ranging between 1,300-2,300m above sea level; while Robusta is grown at altitudes ranging from 900-1,500m above sea level making Ugandan coffee to possess very good intrinsic qualities due to high altitude, soils and farming systems not easily found elsewhere in the world.
Ugandan Robusta has a remarkably impressive cup when wet processed. It is commonly deemed to be of exceptional quality and retains its flavour qualities very well, which cannot always be said of other washed Robusta coffee.
The variety of Wild Robusta Coffee still growing today in Uganda’s rain forests is thought to be some of the rarest examples of naturally occurring coffee trees anywhere in the world.
Current coffee production stands at 8 million 60kg bags while exports stand at 6.08 million 60kg bags for the year ended 2020.
The event was attended by a commendable section Members of the Turkish businesses community especially those dealing in coffee businesss, and members of Ugandan community in Ankara, Istanbul among others.
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