KAMPALA - Uganda's coffee export earnings and shipment volumes rose in May compared with the same period a year ago, driven by a strong harvest in the country's central and southwest, according to the agriculture ministry.

The East African country is Africa's largest coffee exporter, followed by Ethiopia and the crop is among its top foreign exchange earners.

Uganda earned $244 million from coffee, 92% higher than the same period last year, the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries said in a report seen by Reuters on Monday.

May shipments increased to 793,445 of 60 kilograms each, a 44% rise compared with the same month in 2024, the ministry said.

It attributed the surge in shipments to a "good crop from the main harvest" in the central and southwest regions of the country. Uganda primarily cultivates robusta variety of the crop.

Uganda's bean shipments have risen in recent months, driven by rising production and farmers and traders releasing larger quantities to profit from high prices.