Why this report matters
Uganda's coffee authority publishes monthly export statistics by grade, destination and exporter. Because they are compiled from the ICO certificates of origin issued for every consignment, they are close to a complete census of what left the country. For a buyer they answer three practical questions: which grades are actually available in volume, what the market paid for each, and who the established buyers are. The figures below are from the December 2025 report; where we use them elsewhere on this site we cite the same source.
Robusta: Screen 15 is the market
| Grade | Share of Robusta exports | Reported unit value |
|---|---|---|
| Screen 15 | 51.7% | US$4.44/kg |
| Screen 12 | 12.7% | US$4.40/kg |
| Screen 18 | 12.1% | US$4.54/kg |
| BHP 1199 | 10.3% | US$3.42/kg |
| Screen 17 | 7.2% | US$4.47/kg |
| Washed Robusta | 0.09% | US$5.01/kg |
What it means. Screen 15 is the grade the world buys from Uganda; if you want liquidity, alternative supply and the most reference points for price, buy Screen 15. The premium for Screen 18 over 15 was about ten cents per kilogram — modest for the uniformity it brings to an espresso blend. Washed Robusta commanded nearly fifty cents over Screen 18 but is a rounding error in volume; specialty buyers should reserve early against samples. BHP at a dollar below whole-bean grades is the industrial floor.
Arabica: small share, fast growth
Arabica was about 15 percent of export volume but grew 186 percent year on year in December as farmers on Mount Elgon and in the Rwenzori responded to strong prices. Reported unit values by grade: Rwenzori AA US$13.34/kg; Mount Elgon A+ US$8.24; Wugar US$7.93; Bugisu AA US$7.75; Drugar US$7.13; Bugisu AB US$6.50.
What it means. The gap between Rwenzori AA and standard Bugisu AA shows how much the market pays for a named-station washed lot with cupping data — and why we publish lot-level data rather than grade names alone. Fast growth in Arabica volume also means more washed coffee from newer stations of variable consistency: cup the sample.
Destinations: Europe first, by a distance
Italy took 24.2 percent of December's exports, Belgium 11.5 percent, Germany 8.9 percent, India 5.7 percent, Sudan 5.4 percent, Algeria 5.0 percent, Morocco 4.7 percent, China 4.6 percent, Spain 4.5 percent and the UAE 3.1 percent. By region: Europe 61 percent, Asia 19 percent, Africa 16 percent, North America 3 percent, Australia 1 percent. Exports to China grew more than 60 percent over 2025 to about 122,000 bags (ChimpReports).
What it means. Uganda Robusta is a standard input for Italian and Belgian roasters and traders and for Indian soluble manufacturers — established buyers with established counterparties. North American and UK buyers are a small share, which is exactly why a US or UK roaster can find distinctive Uganda lots that the volume trade does not compete for.
Exporters: 85 active, ten dominant
Eighty-five exporters shipped in December and the ten largest handled 54 percent of volume. The regulator is now the Department of Coffee Development within MAAIF, following the merger of the Uganda Coffee Development Authority into the ministry under the November 2024 amendment act.
What it means. The top ten are the multinational trading houses and largest Ugandan exporters; they serve the European volume trade. The remaining 75 include the specialty exporters, cooperatives and origin suppliers — including us — that serve roasters and importers looking for specific lots. Our page on Uganda coffee exporters explains how to verify any of them.
Looking ahead to 2026/27
Three things to plan around: the EU Deforestation Regulation applies to coffee from 30 December 2026, so EU importers should be specifying lot-level geolocation now (see EUDR); Arabica volumes are rising, which should widen the choice of washed lots from January; and the central Robusta main crop follows its usual October–February window, with fresh Screen 15 and 18 shipping from December (see the harvest calendar). We will publish the next briefing when the following monthly report is out.