Com-Watch - Issue 37 - June 2014

Tanzania
Dar’s New Coffee Season Promising
Tanzania has entered what is seen as the most promising new coffee buying season, thanks to rising coffee prices in the world
market. The 2014/2015 new coffee buying season started on May 1st in Mbeya, Kagera, Kigoma, and Mara which covers
Mwanza and Geita when coffee prices in the global market have doubled. Coffee is one of the country’s major exports with
production at more than 61,000 tonnes of coffee this season, up from 48,756 tonnes last season.
The Northern zone which covers Kilimanjaro, Arusha, Manyara, Tanga and Morogoro regions will start the new season on June
1st and for the Ruvuma zone which covers Iringa and Njombe on July 1st. Coffee buyers must have a licence from Tanzania
Coffee Board [TCB]. The board has opened offices within major coffee growing zones as part of its on-going strategies aimed
at fast tracking development of the crop. TCB is hoping that the increase in prices will support the nation’s coffee industry
development strategy of producing 80,000 tonnes of coffee in 2015/2016.
Tanzania is rated as Africa’s 4th largest producer of coffee after Ethiopia, Uganda and Ivory Coast. Large part of last season was
bad for coffee farmers after the world experienced a significant fall in coffee prices. Coffee price in the world market have been
increasing since late January this year [2014] with significant increases recorded in February. The coffee price increases have
been pushed by drought in Brazil, the world’s leading coffee producer. The International Coffee Organization [ICCO] notes the
prices increased by 50% since January 2014.
[Daily News 06/05/14]
Uganda
Uganda Coffee Exports Up 35% Yr/Yr In April
Uganda’s coffee exports in April rose by 35 % year-on-year to 336,676 60-kg bags, helped by rising global prices. According
to Uganda Coffee Development Authority [UCDA], farmgate prices averaged 1,700 shillings/kg [US$0.67] of raw coffee in April
compared to 1,300 in January.
[Reuters 19/05/14]
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