STiR coffee and tea magazine

26 STiR coffee and tea | 2022 Issue 4 (August/September) A By Gordon Feller lthough Africa accounts for about 12% of global coffee production, these figures un- derstate the importance of coffee produc- tion to several African economies. In both Uganda and Ethiopia, for example, coffee was the largest single exported product by value in 2021. The value of coffee exports from Africa is trending upward, despite dropping from a peak in 2012. While volumes from African exporters have decreased overall, the increase in total value repre- sents growth in the percentage of higher value Ara- bica beans. Other countries, including Madagascar, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Rwanda, and Côte d'Ivoire also have signif- icant coffee production. Ethiopia, Uganda, Mada- gascar, and Sierra Leone had the biggest growth in coffee production between 2005 and 2021. The top importing countries of coffee from sub-Saharan African countries are Germany, the United States, Italy, Belgium, and Saudi Arabia. There are no or low tariffs for African exports of unprocessed (green) and roasted coffee to the European Union and the United States. Pro- Update from Sub-Saharan Africa's Top Coffee Exporters: Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Côte d'Ivoire cessed coffee tariffs for the EU and the U.S. are around 10%. In general, African coffee value chains have been characterized by relatively low yields and sup- ply chain inefficiencies. Brazil, the leading produc- er of coffee globally, has nearly double the yield of Ethiopia. Part of the discrepancy in productivity is explained by the fact that the majority of African countries rely on small-holder production, where- as South American and Asian producing countries are more likely to use larger plantations or estates. The majority of coffee globally, and in Af- rica specifically, is grown by smallholder farms. Over 98% of coffee in Uganda is grown on small- holder farms. Smallholder farms often intercrop coffee with other crops such as grains, fruits, or vegetables. In Ethiopia, coffee supports an esti- mated 1.5 million people and the vast majority is grown on smallholder farms, with only about 5% being grown on larger plantations. Small-holders produce about 90% of the coffee in Tanzania. Coffee can also be grown in shade or semi-shade environments. Sun-drying coffee beans in Uganda, where 98% of the crop is grown by smallholders.

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