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Coffee Farming Facts in Uganda

The world's finest coffee is produced in the East African region, which is known for its coffee cooperatives that typically form around washing stations and well-known wet grinding plants. This can be called the birthplace of coffee beans. In Uganda, coffee has always been the most important economic crop and has been the country's primary industry for export earnings since the 1980s. The country focuses on the cultivation of two coffee varieties: Arabica coffee grows in high altitudes of 1300-2300 meters, while Robusta coffee is distributed in mid to low altitude areas of 900-1500 meters. Thanks to its unique high-altitude soil and planting system, which are extremely rare in other parts of the world, Uganda's caffeine has excellent quality. Arabica coffee only grows in high-altitude areas in southeastern and southwestern Uganda. Its soil conditions and planting system are difficult to replicate in other parts of the world. Arabica coffee only grows in the high-altitude areas of southeastern and southwestern Uganda. Coffee cultivation is distributed in five major regions: central, western, southwestern, northern, and eastern. The eastern region includes the Busoga area (planting Robusta) and the Elgon mountain area (planting Arabica). The northern region includes the central northern part (Robusta) and the northwestern part (Arabica mixed with Robusta). Both Robusta and Arabica are planted simultaneously in the southwestern and western regions. Robusta varieties are divided into two categories: Enganda and Erecta. At present, high-yield clonal Robusta coffee is being grown on a large scale, with a yield almost four times that of traditional varieties, used to replace aging trees. Arabica varieties include SL 28 (high altitude), SL 14 (medium altitude), KP 423 (medium altitude), as well as traditional Nyasalan varieties - the latter mainly grown in the Elgon Mountains, Ruwenzori Mountains, and Zewu Mountains of Zongbo District. About 1.7 million small farmers are engaged in coffee cultivation in 108 regions. Robusta is planted at an altitude of 800-1400 meters, while Arabica is distributed in high-altitude areas of 2300-6000 meters. The high-altitude environment, especially for Robusta coffee in Uganda, has created its uniqueness and endowed it with inherent quality characteristics. Sustainable coffee and specialty coffee are being sold to niche markets at prices far above conventional levels. In 2020, Uganda surpassed Ethiopia to become the largest coffee exporting country in Africa and jumped to become the largest coffee producing country in Africa.