Africa’s coffee exports were 6.8 percent up in November 2022

KAMPALA-Exports of all forms of coffee from Africa increased by 6.8 percent to 1.09 million bags in November 2022 from 1.02mln bags in November 2021, the International Coffee Organisation [ICO] says in its latest report.

According to the December 2022 report, for the first two months of the current coffee year, Africa’s coffee exports totalled 2.16mln bags as compared with 2.15mln bags in coffee year 2021/22.

The report notes that November 2022 saw Uganda’s exports fell for the 11th consecutive month, decreasing by 14.8 percent to 0.45mln bags from 0.52mln bags shipped in the similar month last year.

“Uganda’s cumulative total exports over the past 11 months [January–November 2022] amount to 5.21mln bags as compared with 6.23mln bags over the same period a year ago [January–November 2021], down 16.4 percent or 1.02mln bags.”

The reports says drought in most of the coffee growing regions, leading to a lower and shorter main harvest season in central and eastern parts of Uganda and hence lower output, is continuing to hamper Ugandan coffee exports.

Despite Uganda’s large negative push downwards on Africa’s coffee exports in the period under review, positive pulls upwards by Côte d’Ivoire [up 111.1 percent] and Ethiopia [up 29.2 percent], the continent’s third- and second-largest producers and exporters, supported by Kenya [up 16.6 percent] and Rwanda [up 63.6 percent], were sufficiently robust to ensure that the region’s exports grew in November 2022.

Global exports up 3.5 percent

Meanwhile the ICO report notes global green bean exports in November 2022 totalled 9.21mln bags, as compared with 8.31mln bags in the same month of the previous year, up 10.8 percent.

It adds: “The positive growth was driven by the Brazilian Naturals and Robustas, which saw their exports increase by double digits, while the Colombian and Other Milds suffered from double-digits decreases.”

As a result, the report adds, the cumulative total exports of green beans for coffee year 2022/23 bounced back into black, up 3.5 percent as compared with the 3.5 percent decrease for the first month of the current coffee year. “The cumulative total for 2022/23 to November is 17.63 million bags as compared with 17.03 million bags over the same period a year ago,” it says.

Soluble coffee exports

On the other hand, the report says global total exports of soluble coffee decreased by 3.2 percent in November 2022 to 0.97mln bags from 1.0mln bags in November 2021.

In the first two months of coffee year 2022/23, the ICO report says, a total of 1.81mln bags of soluble coffee were exported, representing a decrease of 12.9 percent from the 2.07mln bags exported in the same period during the previous coffee year.

Soluble coffee’s share in the total exports of all forms of coffee was 9.0 percent [measured on a moving 12-month average] in November 2022, down from 9.1 percent in November 2021.

Brazil is the largest exporter of soluble coffee, shipping 0.27mln bags in November 2022, followed by India with 0.19mn bags and Indonesia with 0.15mln bags exported over the same period.

“Exports of roasted beans were down 7.5 percent in November 2022 to 68,865 bags, as compared with 74,411 bags in November 2021. The cumulative total for coffee year 2022/23 to November 2022 was 130,953 bags, as compared with 149,108 bags in same period a year ago,” says the report released this week.

https://thecooperator.news/africa-coffee-exports-drop-5-1-percent-as-drought-hits-uganda/

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