Gold and coffee have continued to become Uganda’s biggest earner of foreign exchange.
Although gold earnings decreased slightly to US$ 155.7 million in March 2021 from US$ 175.1 million receipted in February 2021, they contributed 37.4 percent to total exports in March 2021. In February, they had contributed 42.3 percent.
This is according to the Merchandise trade statistics report for March 2021 issued by Uganda Bureau of Statistics.
Coffee was the second most exported commodity whose revenues increased to US$ 53.5 million, accounting for 12.9 percent of total exports in March 2021 in comparison to US$ 50.5 million generated in February 2021, according to the report.
The report also indicates that Cocoa beans products were the third most exported commodity accounting for 3.2 percent of total exports in March 2021. Tobacco, Animal/vegetable fats and oils, Fish and Fish products, Iron and Steel, Petroleum products, Cement, Sugar and Sugar confectionary, Tea and Flowers were also among Uganda’s leading exported commodities.
However, maize exports declined to US$ 5.4 million in March from US$ 9.6 million exported in February 2021. The reduction was attributed to the restrictions imposed on maize importation by Kenya due to the low quality standards of maize produced by Uganda.