The Minister for State for Foreign Affairs Okello Oryem reiterated Uganda's commitment to increase coffee exports to China, the ministry said in a statement.
The Minister was Thursday speaking at the one-day hybrid event, the first Uganda Coffee Day -- organized by the Consulate General of Uganda in Guangzhou in conjunction with the Embassy of Uganda in Beijing and the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA).
The event, which took place simultaneously in Guangzhou at Guangzhou Jinda Coffee & Beverages Market, one of the largest coffee markets in Southern China, and UCDA Offices in Kampala -- featured a coffee cupping and tasting of the latest harvest of coffee samples of both Robusta and Arabica coffee.
"The main objective of this event was to promote the unique quality of Uganda coffee in China, create partnerships for the importation of Uganda coffee into China and attract investments in value addition in Uganda's coffee sector," reads the statement.
The Uganda Coffee Day is one of the activities held in commemoration of 60 years of Uganda-China relations under the theme '60 Years of Strategic Friendship and Cooperation between Uganda and China towards a Shared Future in a New Era'.
The Minister told attendees that President Yoweri Museveni had directed UCDA to accelerate the coffee production from 3.5 million 60kg bags to 20 million by 2025.
He further noted that Ugandan coffee is now ranked 3rd globally in terms of quality and the Government is looking at ways of supporting the private sector to penetrate the Chinese market which will give the farmer a good place in the global trade.
The Chinese Ambassador to Uganda Zhang Lizhong reiterated China’s commitment to increase bilateral trade and informed that one of the ways to achieve this is through increased export of Uganda’s coffee "which has a unique taste and flavor loved by a significant percentage of Chinese people."
He also noted that the Chinese Embassy in Uganda will continue offering UCDA technical support to achieve this common goal for the mutual benefit of both parties.
UCDA Managing Director Dr. Emmanuel Iyamulemye revealed that “Uganda is coming to China in a big way.”
According to the director, Uganda’s coffee first arrived in China in 2003.
The President of the Jinda Coffee Market Cai Shuqiang said that he will organize and lead a delegation of Chinese Investors to Uganda to explore more opportunities in the coffee sector once the COVID-19 restrictions on travel in China are reviewed.
According to statistics from UCDA, China’s coffee market is estimated at US$11.5 billion in annual sales and is expected to grow by 10% in the next five years.
Additionally, coffee consumption in China is growing at between 15%-20% annually. With the increasing volumes of organically grown coffee, Uganda has an advantage over other African countries to capture the China coffee market.
The event attracted key players in the coffee sector, including coffee importers and exporters, traders, roasters, dealers in coffee machinery and related equipment, media practitioners, relevant government departments to mention but afew.
It was concluded with an award prize-giving ceremony for Uganda’s best coffees in cupping and tasting.
