Bahati urges coffee farmers to prioritise quality, production

What the report says

Uganda’s Trade Minister David Bahati has called on coffee farmers to raise output while protecting bean quality, saying the country wants to earn more from coffee through local processing and broader export markets. The remarks were made in Kampala during the launch of the Coffee and Cocoa Expo 2026, according to Nile Post.

Bahati said Uganda’s coffee industry has grown strongly and now plays a major role in the country’s export performance, but he warned that expansion will not be sustainable unless farmers produce enough high-grade coffee. He argued that exporting more of the crop in processed form, rather than as raw green coffee, would allow Uganda to capture more value and create additional jobs and income.

He also pointed to government plans to support the sector, including a US$168 million market access project aimed at improving standards and related infrastructure such as laboratories. Bahati said Uganda is pursuing opportunities in regional trade and in markets in Europe and Asia, and he encouraged the industry to provide government with a report on the main challenges it faces.

Private sector representative Stephen Asiimwe, speaking at the same event, said the main constraints are at farm level and across the value chain, including limited access to financing between planting and harvest, irrigation gaps and weak extension services. His comments add context to the minister’s message: that improving production, farm practices and processing capacity will be central to Uganda’s efforts to raise coffee earnings.