The Minister of State for Trade, David Bahati, has called on stakeholders in Uganda’s coffee, cocoa and tourism sectors to adhere to global market standards if the country is to remain competitive and expand its presence in international markets.
Bahati made the remarks on Thursday, August 13, 2026, while officiating at the opening of the three-day Uganda Coffee and Cocoa Expo 2026 at Serena Hotel in Kampala.
The expo and high-level conference is being held under the theme, “Empowering Uganda’s Coffee Industry: Innovation, Sustainability and Global Reach.”
The event has brought together key players in the coffee, cocoa and tourism sectors, including agro-processors, farmers, exporters, manufacturers, technical service providers, legislators, academics and media practitioners, as well as visiting delegates from the global coffee industry.
Bahati said Uganda’s coffee exports had reached about US$2.5 billion, describing the performance as an indication that players in the sector are steadily improving value addition along the coffee value chain.
He pledged that the government would continue providing technical and logistical support to the sector, including through sensitisation campaigns on value-chain development, from production at farm level to market linkages.
The minister emphasised the need for stakeholders to improve the quality and competitiveness of Uganda’s agricultural products to meet the requirements of international markets.
Meanwhile, Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) Chief Executive Officer Stephen Asiimwe said the coffee sector had recently faced serious challenges arising from prolonged dry conditions between May and July, which caused thousands of coffee trees to dry up and resulted in significant income losses for farmers.
Asiimwe said PSFU had moved beyond viewing agriculture as a distant source of revenue and was now actively engaging with the sector to support coffee, cocoa and tourism.
He said the organisation would use its lobbying platform to advocate for stronger government support for farmers, particularly in areas such as irrigation, access to quality planting materials, pesticides, value addition and market linkages.
The chairperson of the expo and conference organising committee, Jackie Kemirembe, said the event was organised to bring together stakeholders from the three sectors to discuss challenges affecting their businesses and identify solutions through technical guidance and government support.
Kemirembe said the organisers intend to make the expo an annual event to provide a platform for stakeholders to share knowledge, build partnerships and contribute to efforts aimed at improving household incomes and fighting poverty.
The President of the Uganda Small Scale Industries Association (USSIA), Peter Kasirye, said the association would work with stakeholders to transform the coffee, cocoa and tourism sectors by promoting the sharing of vital information and knowledge aimed at boosting productivity.
Kasirye, who also serves as the head of micro and medium enterprises at PSFU, called for greater government investment in farmers in the three sectors, particularly through capacity building.
He said farmers need improved access to quality seedlings, pesticides, post-harvest handling facilities, storage and reliable market linkages to unlock the full potential of the sectors.
For farmers, however, challenges remain at the grassroots.
Senfuuka Alex, a coffee farmer from the Greater Masaka region, said farmers continue to face difficulties including counterfeit pesticides on the market, inadequate centralised produce storage facilities and limited access to strategic and reliable markets.
He called for stronger measures to protect farmers from fake agricultural inputs and improve post-harvest handling and market access.
The expo is expected to provide a platform for stakeholders to explore opportunities for innovation, sustainability, value addition and increased access to international markets while strengthening Uganda’s position in the global coffee and cocoa value chains.
