Uganda agriculture: Production, trade & prices

3.1

Staple crops

The Annual Agricultural Surveys estimated 9.99 million tonnes of cooking bananas (matooke), 2.21 million tonnes of maize, 2.24 million tonnes of cassava, 1.00 million tonnes of sweet potatoes and 544,000 tonnes of beans in the agricultural year 2021/22¹. Maize was grown on about 1.5 million hectares with a yield of 1.8 tonnes per hectare¹. Survey results vary from year to year. Maize output was 3.44 million tonnes in 2018 and 3.50 million tonnes in 2020, and cassava 4.39 million tonnes in 2018¹.

FAOSTAT reports different figures for recent years, including 5.0 million tonnes of maize and 11.8 million tonnes of cooking bananas in 2024, but its 2024 values for these crops are imputations or figures from international organisations rather than official data². No survey estimates of crop production after 2021/22 had been published by October 2026, and the latest census of agriculture is that of 2008/09³⁴.

Crop production in the Annual Agricultural Surveys

Million tonnes, agricultural years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021/22 (UBOS)

Crop	2018 (million t)	2019 (million t)	2020 (million t)	2021/22 (million t)
Cooking bananas	6.49	9.4	11.12	9.99
Maize	3.44	2.76	3.5	2.21
Cassava	4.39	2.66	1.67	2.24
Sweet potatoes	1.48	1.07	1.21	1
Beans	0.73	0.44	0.67	0.54

Source: UBOS — Household sector only. The 2019 cooking banana figure is from the AAS 2019 report. The 2021/22 round covers the second season of 2021 and the first season of 2022. The maize yield was 1.8 tonnes per hectare in 2021/22.

Production of staple food crops

Million tonnes, 2010–2024 (FAOSTAT)

Year	Cooking bananas (matooke) (million t)	Maize (million t)	Cassava (million t)	Sweet potatoes (million t)	Dry beans (million t)
2010	4.69	2.37	3.02	1.99	0.95
2011	4.7	2.55	2.71	1.8	0.92
2012	4.5	2.73	2.81	1.85	0.87
2013	4.37	2.75	2.98	1.81	0.94
2014	4.58	2.87	2.81	1.82	1.01
2015	4.62	2.81	2.73	2.05	1.08
2016	3.4	2.48	2.73	1.91	0.81
2017	4.62	2.81	2.73	1.93	1.01
2018	6.49	3.44	4.39	1.48	0.94
2019	9.4	2.76	2.66	1.07	0.44
2020	11.76	3.5	2.08	1.17	0.79
2021	11.18	3.5	2.26	1.29	0.77
2022	11.23	4.74	2.18	1.54	0.83
2023	11.62	4.95	1.87	1.19	0.77
2024	11.83	5	1.63	1.03	0.79

Source: FAOSTAT · UBOS — FAOSTAT maize values for 2018–2020 equal the UBOS Annual Agricultural Survey estimates, and many later values are FAO imputations or estimates. The surveys give 2.21 million tonnes of maize and 9.99 million tonnes of cooking bananas for the agricultural year 2021/22, below the FAO figures, so the two series should not be compared year by year.

Crop production, survey and FAO estimates

Crop	AAS 2021/22 (t)	FAOSTAT 2024 (t)	FAOSTAT 2024 flag
Cooking bananas (matooke)	9,985,000	11,834,262	imputed
Maize	2,214,000	5,000,000	international source
Cassava	2,242,000	1,628,999	imputed
Sweet potatoes	1,002,000	1,026,777	imputed
Beans, dry	544,000	793,123	imputed
Coffee, green	–	402,000	international source
Sorghum	175,000	225,000	international source
Soya beans	195,000	155,000	international source
Groundnuts	166,000	150,000	international source
Rice	125,000	300,000	international source
Millet	64,000	120,000	international source
Sugar cane	–	6,104,830	imputed

Source: UBOS · FAOSTAT — The AAS column is household-sector survey output for the 2021/22 agricultural year. FAOSTAT flags show that its 2024 values are imputations or figures from international organisations rather than official national data, which explains part of the difference.

3.2

Coffee

Coffee exports rose from 4.19 million 60-kg bags worth US$490.5 million in FY2016/17 to 8.40 million bags worth US$2,190.9 million in FY2025/26 on Bank of Uganda data (own sums)⁸. The Coffee Department of MAAIF reports 8.3 million bags and US$2.18 billion for FY2025/26, against 7.7 million bags and US$2.21 billion in FY2024/25, so volume rose while value fell slightly as prices eased⁹. Robusta made up 92% of exports in August 2026, when the average export price was US$4.1 per kg, and Italy took 25.2% of volume, Sudan 15.2% and Germany 9.9%¹⁰.

Coffee production was 394,228 tonnes in 2023 on UBOS data, which record quantities procured by the regulator¹. The 2021/22 survey estimated 85,000 tonnes of Arabica on 105,000 hectares and 180,000 tonnes of Robusta on 260,000 hectares in the household sector³. The former Uganda Coffee Development Authority put annual production at 7.8 million bags in FY2022/23¹¹. The National Coffee Policy of 2013 estimated average coffee holdings at 0.33 hectares per household¹². In FY2022/23 Italy took 35.7% of export volume, Sudan 13.6% and Germany 12.6%¹³. Coffee's share of goods exports fell to 13.9% in FY2025/26 as gold exports grew (own calculation)⁸.

Coffee exports by value

US$ million, fiscal years FY2013/14–FY2025/26 (Bank of Uganda)

Fiscal year	Coffee exports (US$ m)
2013/14	404
2014/15	400.5
2015/16	352
2016/17	490.5
2017/18	492.5
2018/19	416.2
2019/20	497.4
2020/21	554.9
2021/22	862.2
2022/23	845.4
2023/24	1,143.9
2024/25	2,210.8
2025/26	2,190.9

Source: BoU · MAAIF Coffee Dept — Own sums of the monthly Bank of Uganda series, which takes coffee data from the coffee regulator. The Coffee Department of MAAIF reports US$2.18 billion for FY2025/26 and US$2.21 billion for FY2024/25.

Coffee exports by volume

Million 60-kg bags, fiscal years FY2013/14–FY2025/26 (Bank of Uganda)

Fiscal year	Coffee exports (million bags)
2013/14	3.65
2014/15	3.24
2015/16	3.56
2016/17	4.19
2017/18	4.46
2018/19	4.17
2019/20	5.1
2020/21	6.08
2021/22	6.26
2022/23	5.76
2023/24	6.12
2024/25	7.75
2025/26	8.4

Source: BoU · MAAIF Coffee Dept — Own sums of monthly bags. Volume doubled between FY2016/17 and FY2025/26 (own calculation), while value more than quadrupled.

Coffee and gold in total exports

% of total goods exports including informal cross-border trade, FY2019/20–FY2025/26

Fiscal year	Coffee (%)	Gold (%)
2019/20	13.1	29.4
2020/21	10.5	42.6
2021/22	22.5	0
2022/23	15.7	19.8
2023/24	14.6	38.2
2024/25	20.5	39.1
2025/26	13.9	56.5

Source: BoU — Own calculation from Bank of Uganda monthly values. Gold exports were US$1,118.4 million in FY2019/20 and US$2,249.7 million in FY2020/21, and rose from US$1,066.8 million in FY2022/23 to US$8,907.7 million in FY2025/26. FY2021/22 is recorded as zero in the Bank of Uganda series.

Coffee production

Thousand tonnes of green coffee, 2016–2023 (UBOS)

Year	Coffee (thousand t)
2016	243.1
2017	302.1
2018	307.5
2019	255.2
2020	275.4
2021	414
2022	352.7
2023	394.2

Source: UBOS · FAOSTAT — UBOS reports quantities procured by the coffee regulator, with Annual Agricultural Survey estimates for 2018–2020. FAOSTAT gives 402,000 tonnes for 2024, sixth in the world (own ranking of FAOSTAT data).

Coffee exports by coffee year (October–September)

Coffee year	60-kg bags	US$ million
2010/11	3,149,423	448.89
2012/13	3,582,629	432.69
2014/15	3,455,852	410.56
2016/17	4,605,158	544.59
2018/19	4,439,968	433.96
2019/20	5,359,970	512.33
2020/21	6,498,941	627.18
2021/22	5,858,957	877.38
2022/23	6.14 million	940.36
2023/24	6.35 million	about 1,400
2024/25	8.2 million	about 2,300

Source: UCDA — 2010/11–2021/22 from the regulator's export spreadsheet. Later years are the headline figures of the September monthly reports, which round the 2023/24 and 2024/25 values. The September 2025 report restates 2023/24 as 6.4 million bags.

Coffee exports in August 2026

Item	Value
Exports (60-kg bags)	737,766
Value (US$ million)	181.7
Robusta share of volume (%)	92
Average export price (US$ per kg)	4.1
Largest destination, Italy (% of volume)	25.2
Sudan (%)	15.2
Germany (%)	9.9
Active exporters (number)	87
Farm-gate price, Robusta FAQ (UGX per kg)	12,000
Twelve months to August 2026 (million bags)	8.1
Twelve months to August 2026 (US$ billion)	2.1

Source: MAAIF Coffee Dept — Monthly report of the Coffee Department of MAAIF. Exports were 13.6% lower in volume and 10.3% lower in value than in August 2025.

3.3

Other export crops

Cocoa bean exports rose from US$93.1 million in FY2022/23 to US$621.5 million in FY2024/25 and were US$364.1 million in FY2025/26, and sugar exports doubled from US$109.5 million to US$218.3 million between FY2023/24 and FY2024/25⁸. Tea exports declined from US$89.1 million in FY2022/23 to US$51.9 million in FY2025/26, and cotton exports were US$16.4 million in FY2025/26⁸. UBOS recorded 69,735 tonnes of tea in 2023 and sugar production of 578,000 tonnes, 26.4% less than in 2022¹. Cotton lint output fell from 189,444 bales in 2018/19 to 50,709 bales in 2020/21 and recovered to 115,976 bales in 2022/23¹⁸.

Other agricultural exports

US$ million, fiscal years FY2019/20–FY2025/26 (Bank of Uganda)

Fiscal year	Cocoa beans (US$ m)	Sugar (US$ m)	Fish and products (US$ m)	Maize (US$ m)	Tea (US$ m)
2019/20	89.7	92.6	146.6	101	71
2020/21	105.4	88.1	118.7	79.6	85.5
2021/22	97.6	130.7	135.3	48.9	85.5
2022/23	93.1	120.4	143.9	160.8	89.1
2023/24	263.4	109.5	134.2	161.8	66.8
2024/25	621.5	218.3	150.4	101.5	54.8
2025/26	364.1	225.5	151.6	87.1	51.9

Source: BoU — Own sums of monthly data. Maize is formal exports only, and fish excludes regional informal trade. MAAIF reports fish exports of US$216.4 million for FY2024/25 on a different basis¹⁹.

Tea, cotton and cocoa production

Thousand tonnes, 2010–2024 (FAOSTAT)

Year	Seed cotton (thousand t)	Cocoa beans (thousand t)
2010	83.5	15
2011	144.4	18
2012	53	16
2013	49	20
2014	76	28
2015	63.5	32
2016	85.7	35
2017	119	35
2018	110	35
2019	120	35
2020	130	35
2021	135	46.7
2022	135	43.4
2023	139.4	39.9
2024	149.3	55

Source: FAOSTAT · UBOS · Parliament — FAOSTAT values, many of them estimates. Tea is not shown because FAOSTAT reports green leaf (414,945 tonnes in 2024) while UBOS reports made tea (69,735 tonnes in 2023). Cotton lint production, as reported by the Cotton Development Organisation, fell from 189,444 bales in 2018/19 to 50,709 bales in 2020/21 and recovered to 115,976 bales in 2022/23.

Oilseeds and other field crops

Thousand tonnes, 2010–2024 (FAOSTAT)

Year	Sunflower seed (thousand t)	Sesame (simsim) (thousand t)	Soya beans (thousand t)	Groundnuts (thousand t)	Sorghum (thousand t)
2010	276	119	27	276	391
2011	265	142	32	327	437
2012	230	124	23	295	336
2013	238	124	23	295	299
2014	243	145	28	296	299
2015	245	145	28	296	411
2016	237	135	26	275	366
2017	243	146	28	297	202
2018	272	144	108	193	268
2019	383	144	127	133	97
2020	390	146	138	183	162
2021	405	142	138	136	307
2022	420	138	172	232	286
2023	470	140	194	221	266
2024	285	140	155	150	225

Source: FAOSTAT — Many FAOSTAT values for these crops are estimates or figures from international organisations rather than survey results.

Agricultural goods exports, Bank of Uganda, US$ million

Product	FY2021/22	FY2022/23	FY2023/24	FY2024/25	FY2025/26
Coffee	862.2	845.4	1,143.9	2,210.8	2,190.9
Cocoa beans	97.6	93.1	263.4	621.5	364.1
Sugar	130.7	120.4	109.5	218.3	225.5
Fish and products	135.3	143.9	134.2	150.4	151.6
Maize (formal)	48.9	160.8	161.8	101.5	87.1
Beans (formal)	113.1	89.7	69.8	56.0	75.6
Tobacco	41.9	57.9	65.2	65.3	70.4
Flowers	67.7	62.4	63.0	66.2	68.6
Tea	85.5	89.1	66.8	54.8	51.9
Cotton	30.2	23.6	21.1	10.1	16.4
Total goods exports, incl. informal trade	3,836.6	5,396.2	7,818.9	10,761.6	15,756.7

Source: BoU — Own fiscal-year sums of the monthly Bank of Uganda series (released 5 October 2026). Dairy is not shown separately in the series.

3.4

Livestock and fish

The National Livestock Census of 2021 counted 14.48 million cattle, 17.36 million goats, 7.08 million pigs, 4.36 million sheep and 57.8 million chickens, and about 6.7 million households kept livestock¹. MAAIF reports milk production rising from 2.7 billion litres in 2020 to 5.4 billion litres in 2024, and exports of milk and milk products of US$285.4 million in 2024²⁰. Livestock value added grew by 8.8% in FY2025/26²¹.

The national fish catch was 727,034 tonnes in 2024, valued at UGX 2.087 trillion, and fish exports were US$216.4 million in FY2024/25 on MAAIF data¹⁹. Lake Albert supplied 347,718 tonnes and Lake Victoria 269,708 tonnes of the 2023 catch¹. The first Uganda Aquaculture Census counted 9,463 fish farms producing 65,444 tonnes in July 2024 – June 2025, of which 82.4% tilapia²².

Livestock numbers

Million head, 2010–2024 (FAOSTAT)

Year	Goats (million head)	Cattle (million head)	Sheep (million head)
2010	13.2	12.1	1.9
2011	13.6	12.5	2
2012	14	12.8	2
2013	14.6	13	2.1
2014	14	13.6	3.3
2015	15.3	14	3.8
2016	15.7	14.4	4.2
2017	16	14.2	4.4
2018	16.4	14.6	4.6
2019	16.9	14.8	4.7
2020	17.1	14.9	4.7
2021	17.4	14.5	4.4
2022	17.4	14.5	4.4
2023	17.4	14.6	4.4
2024	17.4	14.7	4.4

Source: FAOSTAT · UBOS — The National Livestock Census of 2021 counted 14.48 million cattle, 17.36 million goats, 4.36 million sheep, 7.08 million pigs and 57.8 million chickens.

Milk production

Billion litres, 2020–2024 (MAAIF)

Year	Milk production (bn litres)
2020	2.7
2021	2.81
2022	3.2
2023	3.85
2024	5.4

Source: MAAIF · UBOS — Exports of milk and milk products were US$101.3 million in 2020 and US$285.4 million in 2024²⁰. UBOS cites 3.7 billion litres for 2021 from the National Livestock Census, against 2.81 billion litres in the MAAIF series¹.

Fish production

Thousand tonnes live weight, capture and aquaculture, 2010–2024 (FAO FishStat)

Year	Capture fisheries (thousand t)	Aquaculture (thousand t)
2010	413.8	95
2011	437.4	85.7
2012	408	95.9
2013	419.2	98.1
2014	461.7	111
2015	396.7	117.6
2016	382.3	118.1
2017	389.6	112.3
2018	439.9	103.7
2019	603.7	102.9
2020	578.7	123.9
2021	634.6	138.6
2022	444.9	101.4
2023	716.5	130
2024	538.2	103.4

Source: FAO FishStat · MAAIF · UBOS — MAAIF reports a national catch of 684,305 tonnes in 2023 and 727,034 tonnes in 2024, and the Uganda Aquaculture Census counted 65,444 tonnes of aquaculture output from 9,463 farms in July 2024 – June 2025. Nile perch accounted for 79,046 tonnes of the 2024 capture in FishStat.

1^st

Plantains and cooking bananas

11.8 Mt world production rank on FAO estimates, 2024²

6^th

Green coffee

402,000 t world production rank on FAO estimates, 2024²

9^th

Dry beans

793,123 t world production rank on FAO estimates, 2024²

16^th

Goats

17.4 million world rank by number on FAO estimates, 2024²

Livestock, dairy and fisheries indicators

Indicator	Value	Period
Cattle (National Livestock Census)	14,477,832	2021
Goats (National Livestock Census)	17,358,355	2021
Pigs (National Livestock Census)	7,083,943	2021
Milk production (billion litres, MAAIF)	5.4	2024
Milk and milk products exports (US$ million, MAAIF)	285.4	2024
Beef production (t, MAAIF)	276,892	2024
Fish catch (t, MAAIF)	727,034	2024
Fish exports (US$ million, MAAIF)	216.42	FY2024/25
Aquaculture production (t, UBOS census)	65,444	Jul 2024 – Jun 2025
Aquaculture farms (number)	9,463	Jul 2024 – Jun 2025

Source: UBOS · MAAIF — Livestock subsector value added grew 8.8% in FY2024/25 according to MAAIF.

Uganda in world production, 2024

Commodity	Production	World rank
Plantains and cooking bananas	11.83 million t	1st
Coffee, green	402,000 t	6th
Pigeon peas	13,514 t	7th
Beans, dry	793,123 t	9th
Tea leaves	414,945 t	9th
Cocoa beans	55,000 t	12th
Sweet potatoes	1.03 million t	12th
Goats (head)	17.40 million	16th
Sesame seed	140,000 t	16th
Cattle (head)	14.72 million	23rd

Source: FAOSTAT — Own ranking of FAOSTAT country values for 2024, excluding regional aggregates and the aggregate for China. Many values are FAO estimates.

3.5

Trade

The map shows where Uganda's agri-food products go and where they come from. In 2025 Uganda reported US$4,796.5 million of agri-food exports and US$2,015.9 million of imports²⁴. The EU-27 took 39.6% of exports, and East African Community partner states 25.5% of exports and 41.5% of imports (own calculation)²⁴. Italy bought US$709.7 million, mostly coffee. Kenya (US$408.1 million) bought mainly sugar, coffee, animal feed, vegetables and dairy products, and South Sudan (US$333.3 million) mainly milling products, sugar and vegetable fats and oils²⁴. Cocoa went mainly to Indonesia, the Netherlands and Malaysia²⁴.

Agri-food exports rose from US$1,379.6 million in 2015 to US$4,796.5 million in 2025, led by coffee, tea and spices, whose value rose from US$1,633.7 million in 2024 to US$2,545.2 million in 2025²⁵. Imports are led by vegetable fats and oils (US$544.6 million in 2025, of which US$330.3 million from Malaysia) and cereals (US$517.3 million, of which US$263.5 million from Tanzania)²⁴.

Agri-food trade partners, 2025

Exports and imports of HS chapters 01–24 by partner country, US$ million (UN Comtrade, as reported by Uganda)

Exports · All agri-food products4,796.5 US$ m

US$ m<0.20.20.842050+no trade / n.a.Uganda

Top 12 partners · share of total and US$ m

Italy

14.8%709.7

Kenya

8.5%408.1

Germany

7%338.1

South Sudan

6.9%333.3

Netherlands

6%287.2

DR Congo

5.5%264.6

Belgium

3.8%184.2

Indonesia

3.8%183

United States

3.8%180.1

Sudan

3.4%161.9

Rwanda

3.1%147.2

India

2.9%138.4

105 more partners · 1,460.6 US$ m (30.5%)

#	Partner	Value (US$ m)	Share (%)
1	Italy	709.7	14.8
2	Kenya	408.1	8.5
3	Germany	338.1	7
4	South Sudan	333.3	6.9
5	Netherlands	287.2	6
6	DR Congo	264.6	5.5
7	Belgium	184.2	3.8
8	Indonesia	183	3.8
9	United States	180.1	3.8
10	Sudan	161.9	3.4
11	Rwanda	147.2	3.1
12	India	138.4	2.9
13	Spain	138.3	2.9
14	Algeria	121.6	2.5
15	Malaysia	116.2	2.4
16	Morocco	91.2	1.9
17	China	89.8	1.9
18	Russia	59.2	1.2
19	UAE	54.8	1.1
20	Portugal	53.9	1.1
21	Vietnam	46.8	1
22	Switzerland	40.7	0.8
23	United Kingdom	39.2	0.8
24	Egypt	37.1	0.8
25	Burundi	35.4	0.7
26	Poland	34.5	0.7
27	Türkiye	33.4	0.7
28	Tanzania	29.9	0.6
29	Canada	29.3	0.6
30	Greece	28.4	0.6
31	Hong Kong	28.2	0.6
32	Slovenia	21.7	0.5
33	Latvia	21.2	0.4
34	France	21.1	0.4
35	Israel	20.4	0.4
36	Japan	20.1	0.4
37	Australia	18.3	0.4
38	Saudi Arabia	17.7	0.4
39	Tunisia	16.6	0.3
40	Sweden	15.1	0.3
41	South Korea	12	0.3
42	Mexico	11.4	0.2
43	Jordan	11.2	0.2
44	Estonia	9.8	0.2
45	South Africa	9.5	0.2
46	Romania	8.9	0.2
47	Iran	8.6	0.2
48	Central African Rep.	7.9	0.2
49	Oman	7.6	0.2
50	Bulgaria	7.5	0.2
51	Lebanon	7.3	0.2
52	Lithuania	7	0.1
53	Nigeria	6.8	0.1
54	Qatar	5.8	0.1
55	North Korea	5	0.1
56	Somalia	4.3	0.1
57	Denmark	3.5	0.1
58	Albania	3.5	0.1
59	Ecuador	3.3	0.1
60	Pakistan	3.3	0.1
61	Finland	2.6	0.1
62	Angola	2.6	0.1
63	Ireland	2.5	0.1
64	Singapore	2.2	0
65	Malawi	2.2	0
66	Ukraine	1.9	0
67	Zimbabwe	1.7	0
68	Ethiopia	1.4	0
69	Senegal	1.3	0
70	Cabo Verde	1.3	0
71	Slovakia	1	0
72	Madagascar	1	0
73	Armenia	0.9	0
74	Georgia	0.9	0
75	Yemen	0.9	0
76	Czechia	0.8	0
77	Zambia	0.8	0
78	Norway	0.8	0
79	New Zealand	0.8	0
80	Taiwan (Other Asia, nes)	0.8	0
81	Iraq	0.7	0
82	Bangladesh	0.6	0
83	Maldives	0.6	0
84	Brazil	0.5	0
85	Kuwait	0.5	0
86	Bahrain	0.5	0
87	Libya	0.5	0
88	Nepal	0.5	0
89	Serbia	0.4	0
90	Mali	0.3	0
91	Syria	0.3	0
92	Seychelles	0.3	0
93	North Macedonia	0.2	0
94	Cameroon	0.2	0
95	Chad	0.2	0
96	Philippines	0.2	0
97	Congo (Rep.)	0.2	0
98	Austria	0.2	0
99	Ghana	0.2	0
100	Hungary	0.2	0
101	Comoros	0.2	0
102	Mauritania	0.1	0
103	Turkmenistan	0.1	0
104	Colombia	0.1	0
105	Gabon	0.1	0
106	Laos	0.1	0
107	Moldova	0.1	0
108	Guatemala	0.1	0
109	Togo	0.1	0
110	Chile	0	0
111	Cyprus	0	0
112	Sri Lanka	0	0
113	Thailand	0	0
114	Côte d'Ivoire	0	0
115	Gambia	0	0
116	Costa Rica	0	0
117	Guinea	0	0

Source: UN Comtrade — HS chapters 01–24 (live animals to tobacco). Raw cotton (HS chapter 52) is not included. Partner values are as reported by Uganda, and 2025 is the latest full year Uganda has reported to UN Comtrade. Chapter 09 includes tea and spices as well as coffee. Small territories without a shape on the 1:110m world map appear only in the ranked list.

Where agri-food exports go

Share of agri-food exports (HS 01–24), 2025

39.6%

25.5%

34.9%

EU-27 · 39.6 %EAC partner states · 25.5 %Rest of the world · 34.9 %

Source: UN Comtrade — Own calculation from UN Comtrade partner data. Italy alone took 14.8%.

Agri-food trade

Exports and imports of HS chapters 01–24, US$ million, 2015–2025 (UN Comtrade)

Year	Exports (US$ m)	Imports (US$ m)
2015	1,379.6	698.8
2016	1,347.5	677.1
2017	1,712.7	856.2
2018	1,782.8	810.9
2019	1,554.6	839.9
2020	1,633.4	964.1
2021	2,002.3	1,288.3
2022	2,394.7	1,293
2023	2,578.5	1,258.7
2024	3,257.9	1,484.4
2025	4,796.5	2,015.9

Source: UN Comtrade · World Bank WDI — Own sums of chapters 01–24 as reported by Uganda, calendar years. Raw cotton (chapter 52) is not included. Food was 39.3% of merchandise exports and 10.7% of imports in 2024 on World Bank data²⁶.

Main agri-food export groups

Exports by HS chapter, US$ million, 2015–2025 (UN Comtrade)

Year	Coffee, tea and spices (09) (US$ m)	Cocoa (18) (US$ m)	Sugar (17) (US$ m)	Fish (03) (US$ m)	Cereals (10) (US$ m)
2015	477.7	57.2	66.3	117.6	142.1
2016	450.6	75.5	100.5	121.5	144.3
2017	651.7	54.9	91.7	136.2	183.1
2018	536	65.1	108.2	169.9	192
2019	522	78	83.4	174.1	119.8
2020	600.7	99.4	76	124.9	102.4
2021	819	106.6	100	116.2	51.9
2022	977.4	82.8	163.7	146	83.9
2023	1,071.1	141.4	85.4	134	189
2024	1,633.7	306.7	166.5	139.7	88.9
2025	2,545.2	633	244.3	157.4	45.9

Source: UN Comtrade — Calendar years. Coffee, tea and spices were 53.1% of agri-food exports in 2025 (own calculation).

Agri-food exports by product group

Largest HS chapters, US$ million, 2025 (UN Comtrade)

HS chapter	Exports (US$ m)
Coffee, tea & spices (09)	2,545.2
Cocoa (18)	633
Sugar (17)	244.3
Fats and oils (15)	176.6
Beverages (22)	173.6
Milling products (11)	161.2
Fish (03)	157.4
Vegetables (07)	114.9
Dairy (04)	108.1
Tobacco (24)	96.9

Source: UN Comtrade — Own sums of partner data reported by Uganda for 2025. Total agri-food exports were US$4,796.5 million.

Agri-food imports by product group

Largest HS chapters, US$ million, 2025 (UN Comtrade)

HS chapter	Imports (US$ m)
Fats and oils (15)	544.6
Cereals (10)	517.3
Vegetables (07)	223.1
Feed and residues (23)	185.2
Oilseeds (12)	94.5
Sugar (17)	79.4
Cereal preparations (19)	75.5
Miscellaneous food (21)	74.6
Beverages (22)	71.9
Dairy (04)	26.7

Source: UN Comtrade — Fats and oils from Malaysia (US$330.3 million) and Indonesia (US$122.4 million) and cereals from Tanzania (US$263.5 million) and Russia (US$107.3 million) were the largest import flows in 2025.

Composition of goods exports

US$ million, FY2025/26 (Bank of Uganda)

	Exports (US$ m)
Gold	8,907.7
Coffee	2,190.9
Cocoa beans	364.1
Sugar	225.5
Fish and products	151.6
Maize	87.1
Beans	75.6
Tobacco	70.4
Flowers	68.6
Tea	51.9
Cotton	16.4
Other goods and informal trade	3,547.1

Source: BoU — Own sums of monthly data. Total exports were US$15,756.7 million, including US$929.4 million of informal cross-border trade. The last segment is the remainder (own calculation).

3.6

Prices

Annual inflation of food crops and related items fell from 27.6% in January 2023 to −5.3% in October 2024, was 7.4% in September 2025 and 0.0% in June 2026, and rose to 4.5% in September 2026, when headline inflation was 4.6%²⁷²⁸. In September 2026 food crop prices rose by 7.0% in the month, with matooke up 16.0% and beans up 6.3%, and the national average retail price of maize flour was UGX 2,735 per kg²⁸. Energy, fuel and utility prices rose by 14.5% on a year earlier²⁸.

Food crop and headline inflation

Annual % change, monthly, January 2025 – September 2026 (UBOS)

Month	Food crops and related items (%)	Headline (%)
Jan 25	0.2	3.6
Feb 25	4.3	3.7
Mar 25	3.1	3.4
Apr 25	2.4	3.5
May 25	4.3	3.8
Jun 25	4.7	3.9
Jul 25	3.2	3.8
Aug 25	3	3.8
Sep 25	7.4	4
Oct 25	6.1	3.4
Nov 25	4	3.1
Dec 25	4.4	3.1
Jan 26	3	3.2
Feb 26	1.8	2.9
Mar 26	1	2.8
Apr 26	0.6	3
May 26	0.2	3.2
Jun 26	0	3.7
Jul 26	1.6	4
Aug 26	2.1	4.1
Sep 26	4.5	4.6

Source: UBOS — Base 2016/17 = 100. Food crop inflation was 27.6% in January 2023 and fell to −5.3% in October 2024. In September 2026 food crop prices rose 7.0% in the month, with matooke up 16.0%.

Consumer price inflation

Annual % change, calendar years 2010–2025 (World Bank, UBOS data)

Year	CPI inflation (%)
2010	4
2011	16.6
2012	12.7
2013	4.9
2014	3.1
2015	5.6
2016	5.7
2017	5.2
2018	2.6
2019	2.9
2020	3.3
2021	2.2
2022	7.2
2023	5.4
2024	3.3
2025	3.6

Source: World Bank WDI · UBOS — Headline annual inflation was 4.6% in September 2026.

Food, crop and livestock production indices

Index, 2014–2016 = 100, 2010–2024 (FAO, via World Bank)

Year	Food (index)	Crops (index)	Livestock (index)
2010	94	95.8	89.1
2011	94.4	96.2	92.1
2012	95.7	96	94.3
2013	98.6	99	96.5
2014	101.4	103.2	96.5
2015	103.8	104.9	100.1
2016	94.7	91.9	103.5
2017	104	104.8	103
2018	119.4	121.8	112.7
2019	123.6	123.8	123.1
2020	144.5	150.2	127.7
2021	150.2	152.3	143
2022	159.5	161.9	151.2
2023	161.7	161.1	161.7
2024	159.2	157.7	162.3

Source: World Bank WDI — FAO calculates the indices from its production series, which use the Annual Agricultural Survey results for 2018–2020.

Sources cited on this page

The Annual Statistical Abstract 2024 (released October 2025) — Uganda Bureau of Statisticsverified
FAOSTAT Production: Crops and livestock products, bulk download all countries (CSV, release of 23 December 2025) — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nationsverified
Uganda Harmonised and Integrated Survey – Annual Agricultural Survey 2021/22 Report (posted 15 August 2025) — Uganda Bureau of Statisticsverified
Fourth Plan for National Statistical Development FY2025/26–FY2029/30 (September 2026) — Uganda Bureau of Statisticsverified
Annual Agricultural Survey 2018 Report (June 2020) — Uganda Bureau of Statisticsverified
Annual Agricultural Survey 2019 Report (April 2022) — Uganda Bureau of Statisticsverified
Annual Agricultural Survey (AAS) 2020 Report (July 2023) — Uganda Bureau of Statisticsverified
Composition of Exports – Values and Volumes (monthly, July 1991–August 2026; XLSX, released 5 October 2026) — Bank of Ugandaverified
Monthly Coffee Report – June 2026 (Coffee Year 2025/26, Issue 9) — Coffee Department, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (formerly UCDA)verified
Monthly Coffee Report – August 2026 (Coffee Year 2025/26, Issue 11) — Coffee Department, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (formerly UCDA)verified
UCDA Annual Report FY2022/2023 — Uganda Coffee Development Authorityverified
National Coffee Policy, August 2013 — Coffee Department, MAAIF (former UCDA)verified
Uganda's Coffee Export Tables for FY2022-23 (XLS: grades, destination, exporter, monthly trend, buyers) — Uganda Coffee Development Authorityverified
Uganda's Coffee Exports from 1964/65 – 2021/22 coffee years (XLS) — Uganda Coffee Development Authorityverified
Monthly Report – September 2023 (Report CY 2022/23, Issue 12) — Uganda Coffee Development Authorityverified
Monthly Report – September 2024 (Report CY 2023/24, Issue 12) — Uganda Coffee Development Authorityverified
Monthly Coffee Report – September 2025 (Coffee Year 2024/25, Issue 12) — Uganda Coffee Development Authority / MAAIFverified
Report on the Cotton Development (Amendment) Bill, 2024 (April 2024) — Parliament of Uganda – Committee on Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheriesverified
MAAIF Statistical Abstract – Fact Sheet: Fisheries Sub-sector (31 January 2026) — Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheriesverified
MAAIF Statistical Abstract – Fact Sheet: Livestock Sub-sector (31 January 2026) — Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheriesverified
Annual Gross Domestic Product Publication Tables 2025/26 – June 2026 release (base 2016/17), Excel workbook — Uganda Bureau of Statisticsverified
Uganda Aquaculture Census 2025 Report — Uganda Bureau of Statistics with MAAIFverified
Global fisheries and aquaculture production, FishStat bulk dataset GlobalProduction_2026.1.0 (CSV, March 2026) — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nationsverified
UN Comtrade – Uganda, agri-food trade (HS chapters 01–24) by partner, 2025 (public preview API, JSON) — United Nations Statistics Divisionverified
UN Comtrade – Uganda, agri-food trade by HS chapter (01–24), world partner, 2015–2025 (public preview API, JSON) — United Nations Statistics Divisionverified
World Development Indicators – Food exports and food imports (% of merchandise exports and imports) (API, JSON) — World Bankverified
CPI September 2026 Excel tables — Uganda Bureau of Statisticsverified
Press release – Consumer Price Indices and Inflation, September 2026 — Uganda Bureau of Statisticsverified
World Development Indicators – Inflation, consumer prices (annual %), FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG (API, JSON) — World Bankverified
World Development Indicators – Food, crop and livestock production indices (2014–2016 = 100) (API, JSON) — World Bankverified

ⓘ

AI-assisted content, human-reviewed: This page was generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence and reviewed by a human editor. (last review: October 2026) Despite review, errors or outdated values may remain; please verify critical figures against the linked primary sources before relying on them. Nothing here is investment, legal or financial advice.

For more information and suggestions, please contact serkan.veziroglu@prosperaimpact.com.