Uganda Coffee production: How it became the No. 2 African coffee country

(Updated 2022 January the 18th)

I’m starting today with this post about Uganda my blog section about coffee producers and manufacturers around the world.

Uganda coffee has been known firstly for the production of Robusta: around the year of 1860, the country could already boast Robusta plants within its territories (this kind of bean grew already spontaneously before it was imported from Ethiopia).

Uganda Coffee Producing Country

Uganda is one of the coffee producers that is growing faster between the coffee-producing countries, particularly if you think this increase in production is calculated on an annual base.

Nowadays Uganda is the second coffee producing country of Africa after Ethiopia, the 8th country in the world for coffee productivity and the 3rd for the Robusta production globally.

Coffee market in Uganda

The Government Authority (UCDA) http://www.ugandacoffee.go.ug has the goal to reach 20 million coffee bags production by 2025. https://ugandacoffee.go.ug/ucda-and-uca-sign-mou-support-coffee-farmers-achieve-targets

It is one of the coffee producers that is growing faster between the coffee-producing countries,

Business-wise, this is one of the most important perspectives regarding the coffee production even if it carries unpredictable weather problems, inappropriate infrastructures and facilities, the inadequate or small use of fertilisers or biopesticides and limited access to financial investment;

Infrastructural investments would help so much this potential area become one of the leaders of the coffee-producing countries.

Uganda robusta coffee beans

The main production sources are Robusta and Arabica, respectively 80% and 20%.

The Robusta is cultivated until 1200 meters, the plans are harvested by the dry process which is a natural growing Technic.

Nowadays The robusta grows in all the country!

Uganda arabica coffee beans

The Arabica instead grows until 2300 meters mostly by washed process and there are 3 different areas where it grows well: The east part of the Mountain Elgon, in the West Nile, the north-west part of the country and on Rwenzori Mountain in the south-west.

The coffee is the most lucrative cultivation in that country.

The cultivation of Arabica is made within the shadow of big fruits plants (such as banana plants) which permits a better maturation of the beans, less need of water and a smaller use of agricultural fertilizers.

The Arabica varietals that are mostly being cultivated are SL 14, SL 28, Typica and Kent. All of these, except for the Typica variety, are very high in yields. However, it takes a lot of effort to take care of all these plants because of their low resistant to nematodes, coffee berry disease (CBD) and coffee leaf rust.

Uganda coffee production

It’s not only about potential, but it’s also quite becoming a real thing. The government is now focusing on the increase of the coffee production by increasing the investment in any kind of facilities such as investment in the drying infrastructure and supporting farmers by providing farm inputs.

This enables the farmers to take action directly on the tree; for example by weeding, stumping and pruning and lowering the use of fertilizer. But it’s not only this: to ease the access of finance allows farmers to invest in wet mills instead of the current home-processing methods such as hand-pulping and also investing in water tanks to collect water for everyday use. This would contribute to raising the quality of the current processing method and consequently on the quality of the final product.

In my opinion, this country will have a bright economic future due to its coffee production.

We will soon hear about high-quality Arabica coffee production from Uganda!

Edoardo Zanato

I am an Italian coffee lover that pushed for the love of this “amazing drug”  decided to come to London to study about coffee and its different extraction procedures and tastes.