Uganda coffee shipments down 15pc in July

KAMPALA: Uganda’s coffee exports declined 15.1 percent in July from the corresponding month last year, the ministry of agriculture said in a report on Monday, without giving a reason for the decline.

The east African country, Africa’s largest coffee exporter, shipped a total of 846,376 60-kilogram bags in July compared to 997,105 bags exported in the same period last year.

The ministry gave no reason for the decline, but severe drought has ravaged most parts of the country in recent months, devastating farmland.

Coffee and gold are the leading commodity exports and major sources of foreign exchange.

By value, the country earned USD204.1 million from July shipments, down 18.6 percent from earnings in the corresponding month a year ago.