Uganda Says Coffee Exports Down 14 Percent Year-Over-Year Due to Drought
KAMPALA—Uganda’s coffee exports declined last month due to the impact of a drought affecting many growing areas across the country, the state-run sector regulator said.
The east African country shipped a total of 503,695 60-kg bags of coffee beans in September, down 14 percent compared with the same period a year earlier, Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) said in a report.
“The decrease in exports was mainly attributed to lower yields this year that were characterized by drought in most regions,” UCDA said, adding the dry conditions had resulted in a shorter harvest season in central and eastern Uganda.
Uganda is Africa’s largest exporter of coffee, followed by Ethiopia, and relies on earnings from the crop as a major source of foreign exchange….