Kenya and Uganda are expected to increase their coffee exports in the 2023/24 marketing year. Uganda’s production to reach record level of 6.85 million 60kg bags, a 4% increase attributed to good rainfall and maturation of new high-yielding Robusta variety, according to an estimate by the Global Agricultural Information Network-Gains planted between 2017 and 2019, while Kenya’s production is expected to increase by 6.7% to 800,000 bags thanks to recovery from drought conditions and increased application of fertilizers.
Also according to the Global Agricultural Information Network, while Kenya’s total cultivated area is expected to remain stable, at 105,000 hectares, due to shortages of planting materials and losses associated with converting coffee plantations to real estate, Uganda the area planted with coffee is increasing – the area dedicated to coffee rose from 450,000 hectares in 2016/17 to 560,000 hectares in 2019/20 -, just as consumption is rising in the country to around 325,000 bags, from 300,000. Exports are expected to rise 4% year-on-year as higher production increases exportable supplies. To help increase production, the Ugandan government has been providing farmers with high-quality seedling varieties and extension services since 2017. Although this support has decreased since 2020, in part due to Covid-19-related restrictions and limited resources, many high-yielding Robusta trees planted before 2020 have started to mature.
Also in Uganda, Arabica production is expected to remain stable at 1 million bags as growing conditions similar to those encountered in 2022/23 are expected to prevail. As for Robusta yields, they will remain below historic levels due to the outbreaks of Black Coffee Twig Borer and Coffee Red Blister Disease observed in Uganda’s growing regions. Finally, Ugandan farmers typically use little or no inputs to increase production. As a result, Uganda’s production is largely unaffected by changes in fertilizer prices.
Overall, prices remained below 2021/2022 prices due to increased global supply as production in major exporting countries such as Brazil and Colombia returned to historic levels. [Da Redazione InfoAfrica]
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