Uganda is setting its sights on expanding coffee exports to China, as a delegation of Chinese investors tours the East African nation to explore partnerships with local coffee farmers and cooperatives.
The visiting team, accompanied by officials from the Chinese embassy and Uganda’s government, recently toured coffee-growing regions in both eastern and western Uganda. The visit concluded with a joint conference in Kampala aimed at deepening investment and trade ties in the coffee sector between the two nations.
Speaking at the Uganda-China Coffee Trade and Investment Conference, Vincent Bagiire, Permanent Secretary of Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, highlighted the importance of the visit.
“This is a key moment for strengthening cooperation in agricultural trade between Uganda and China,” Bagiire said. “Our goal is to showcase Uganda’s coffee production potential, attract investment in processing and value addition, and further promote our coffee globally.”
Uganda is the second-largest coffee producer in Africa after Ethiopia, and its high-quality Robusta and Arabica beans are increasingly gaining recognition in the global market. Bagiire noted a 190% increase in coffee exports to China in March 2025 alone, making China Uganda’s second-largest coffee destination in Asia.
Uganda’s Ambassador to China, Oliver Wonekha, emphasized the strategic importance of this collaboration. “Coffee is a vital part of our economy, supporting over 1.7 million farming households. With the rapid growth of China’s coffee market—currently expanding at 15% per year—Uganda is ready to meet rising demand,” she said.
Wonekha also called for stronger joint ventures, increased investment in processing, and greater technology transfer to improve cultivation and production standards.
Feng Zhiqiang, Executive Director of Guangzhou Yike Food Company, said the delegation was impressed by Uganda’s coffee value chain and the professionalism observed at various farms and facilities. “We see a strong foundation here, with many producers meeting international quality standards,” Feng said.
China’s ambassador to Uganda, Zhang Lizhong, noted that coffee consumption in China has increased by 167% over the last decade, with imports reaching 150,000 tons in 2023—valued at around 840 million U.S. dollars. China currently consumes about 350,000 tons of coffee annually.
Zhang reiterated China’s support for Africa’s development through cooperation and mutual benefit. “China and Africa share a path toward modernization, and we support African countries’ pursuit of self-reliance and sustainable development,” he said.
Coffee remains one of Uganda’s leading export commodities, crucial to the country’s economic development. In the 2023/2024 fiscal year, Uganda earned a record 1.14 billion U.S. dollars from coffee exports, up from 846 million dollars the year before, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.