Uganda has started 2026 on a strong agricultural footing, with coffee once again emerging as the backbone of the country’s export growth after generating a record USD 2.2 billion in earnings in the 2024/2025 financial year.
New figures released on Thursday by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) show that coffee exports accounted for about 22 percent of Uganda’s total exports, reinforcing the crop’s central role in household incomes, foreign exchange earnings and agro-industrialisation.
The record performance was driven by increased production, improved disease-resistant varieties, expanded seedling distribution and stronger value chain coordination. Coffee output rose from 7.75 million bags in FY 2019/20 to 9.3 million bags in FY 2024/25, with the government maintaining a long-term target of 20 million 60kg bags annually.
Speaking at the release of the sector performance update in Kampala, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Maj. Gen. David Kasura-Kyomukama, said the coffee gains reflect deliberate investments aimed at turning agriculture into a reliable engine of wealth creation.
“Coffee is not just an export crop; it supports the livelihoods of more than 12.5 million Ugandans. Our focus has been to raise productivity, protect farmers from disease, improve post-harvest handling and expand value addition so that farmers earn more from every tree,” Kasura-Kyomukama said.
Government interventions included the distribution of more than 85 million coffee seedlings across major growing regions, the stumping of over 15 million old trees, and the supply of organic fertiliser to restore soil productivity. Three coffee wilt disease-resistant varieties—CWDR 8, 9 and 10—were also rolled out, offering yields of up to 3.9 tonnes per hectare.
The impact has extended beyond production. The number of registered coffee value chain actors and processing facilities increased from 2,378 in FY 2021/22 to 7,477 in FY 2024/25, signaling steady growth in value addition and market readiness.
Coffee’s strong showing helped push total agricultural export earnings to USD 4.175 billion in FY 2024/25, up from USD 1.661 billion in FY 2020/21, with agriculture accounting for nearly 38.5 percent of Uganda’s exports. The sector contributed 26.1 percent to GDP, growing at 6.6 percent over the period.
Officials say the coffee-led export surge validates the government’s wider strategy of investing in irrigation, mechanisation, pest and disease control and market access to move farmers from subsistence to commercial production.
Looking ahead, government plans to deepen value addition, strengthen quality standards and expand access to international markets, with coffee expected to remain at the centre of Uganda’s agricultural transformation.
As Uganda positions itself as a competitive global coffee supplier, the sector’s performance underscores how agriculture—anchored by coffee—continues to shape the country’s economic trajectory.
