Uganda to promote its coffee at Southern China's largest market

Uganda’s Consulate in Guangzhou in together with  the embassy in Beijing and the Uganda Coffee Development Authority  have organized the first Uganda Coffee day to be held in Guangzhou.

The function that takes place today, March 17 at one of the largest coffee markets in Southern China of Guangzhou Jinda Coffee and Beverages will feature cupping and tasting of the latest harvest of coffee samples of both Robusta and Arabica coffee.

The coffee tasting will be done simultaneously in Guangzhou and Kampala organised by the Uganda Coffee Development Authority.

“The main objective of this event is to promote the unique quality of Uganda Coffee in China, create partnerships for importation of Uganda coffee into China and attract investments in value addition in Uganda's coffee sector,” a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

They said the event will attract key players in the Ugandan and Chinese coffee sector including importers, exporters, traders, roasters, dealers in coffee machinery and related equipment, media, relevant government departments.

The Uganda Coffee Day is one of the activities to be held in commemoration of 60 years of Uganda- China relations.

The commemoration are to be held under the theme “ 60 years of strategic friendship and cooperation between Uganda and China towards a shared future in a new era".

Coffee is one of Uganda’s priority commodity and contributes on average 30 percent to the national economy.

Uganda is the leading coffee exporting country in Africa after Ethiopia well known for its production of Robusta coffee with at least 80% of the entire production and 20% being Arabica coffee.

Whereas Europe at 61% remains the biggest market for Uganda’s coffee, China has of late been a target market for the East African country.

This is due to the fact that coffee consumption in China is growing rapidly at an average annual rate of 20%.

Although China grows its own coffee in Yunnan province, most consumers prefer to buy from foreign coffee brands.

To this, China currently imports most of its coffee from a few sources in Asia, with Vietnam accounting for over 49% of coffee imports, Indonesia 14%) and Malaysia (7%).

This growing demand for foreign origin coffee, especially for unique coffee blends only available outside of Asia, presents a market opening for Ugandan coffee which is highly demanded worldwide.