UGANDA
Officials in Uganda are expecting strong coffee exports during the 2016-17 season.
David Muwonge, head of marketing at the National Union of Coffee Agribusiness and Farmer Enterprises, said Sept. 9 that projections show as much as a 13.5% increase thanks to favorable weather. Shipments during the 2016-17 crop year are expected to reach 4.2 million (60 kg) bags. That tops the 2015-16 revised forecast of 3.7 million bags.
Robusta is the dominant variety in Uganda, which exports more of that coffee than any other country, according a Reuters report citing data from the International Coffee Organisation. "If we have good rains now, and not a prolonged January-March drought, then the southwestern (robusta) crop should be good," Muwonge told Reuters.
About 6% of Ugandan coffee is consumed locally, Muwonge said, as coffee drinking is a growing fashion among Uganda’s growing middle class. Based on projections, local consumption could grow to as much as 10% during the next five years.