KAMPALA (Reuters) – The volume of Uganda’s coffee exports rose 27.9% in February, compared to the same month a year ago, as high prices pushed traders to release larger quantities from their inventories, the agriculture ministry has said.
Uganda is Africa’s largest coffee exporter followed by Ethiopia, and primarily cultivates the robusta variety.
In February, the east African country shipped 555,756 60-kilogram bags of coffee, which was 27.9% more than the same month last year, the ministry of agriculture said in a report published late on Tuesday.
Uganda earned $167.7 million from coffee exports in February, more than double received during the same period last year, the ministry said.
“The prevailing high prices at the international scene prompted exporters to release their stocks,” the report said.
Uganda earned $1.7 billion from exports in the twelve months to February, compared to around $1 billion in the previous year, according to the ministry.
(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Hereward Holland and Eileen Soreng)
