Heavy rains could damage Uganda coffee harvest: Union

By Elias Biryabarema

September 7, 2010 4:53 PM EDT

Heavy rains in central Uganda where the coffee harvest is due to begin soon could disrupt the drying process and lower bean quality, thereby hurting prices, a coffee union official told Reuters on Tuesday.

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Uganda is Africa's leading exporter of coffee which is a major foreign exchange earner for the landlocked country.

David Muwonge, head of marketing and production at the National Union of Coffee Agribusinesses and Farm Enterprises (NUCAFE), said rain was vital for the crop's growth, but long, heavy downpours could degrade the coffee quality, especially around harvesting.

"The rains that we're witnessing are bit on the high side and if they intensify beyond this, they could affect the quality of the beans the country will be exporting in the early months of the 2010/11 season."

The season runs from October to September.

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"Low quality coffee of course fetches lower prices and we're still hoping the rains don't become too extreme," Muwonge said.

He said the union was working to educate farmers on drying methods that reduce the risk of rain damage and would help mitigate the impact on prices.

Central and eastern Uganda account for 55 percent of Uganda's annual coffee output, according to the state-run industry regulator, Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA).

It predicts Uganda will ship about 3.1 million 60-kg bags of coffee in the 2010/11 season, helped by favourable weather, compared to an expected 2.7 million bags this season.

A prolonged drought last year and unusually heavy downpours early this year combined to depress output this season.