Uganda grows it, others brand it: the hidden cost of weak export identity

• Uganda’s exports are losing value due to weak country-of-origin identity despite high-quality products.

• Agnes Kitumba says Ugandan cocoa and vanilla are globally recognised but poorly branded.

• Challenges include certification gaps, post-harvest losses and lack of farmer education.

Uganda’s agricultural exports continue to struggle to capture full value on the global market, not because of poor quality, but due to weak country-of-origin identity that leaves its products unrecognised despite their global demand.

Many Ugandans involved in the export business continuously lament that while the country produces some of the world’s best organic agricultural commodities, much of this value is lost as products are rebranded or exported through other countries, denying the country recognition and higher earnings.

Uganda remains one of Africa’s leading agricultural exporters, with key products including coffee, cocoa, tea and vanilla driving foreign exchange earnings. 

According to trade data, coffee alone contributes more than 20 per cent of Uganda’s export revenue, placing the country among the top coffee exporters globally.

In cocoa, Uganda has emerged as a fast-growing producer, with exports rising sharply in recent years. 

Yet much of this produce is shipped as raw material, often through countries like the Netherlands, which then re-export it at higher value.

While the Netherlands does not grow cocoa, it is the world’s leading exporter of cocoa to markets such as the US and the EU.

Compared to its East African neighbours, Uganda has strong agricultural output but weaker branding. 

Kenya, for example, has built a strong identity around its tea and horticulture exports, while Ethiopia has positioned its coffee globally with clear origin branding. Rwanda has also gained recognition for specialty coffee despite smaller volumes.

This gap in branding means Uganda’s products, though high quality, often lose visibility in international markets.

Agnes Kitumba Netunze, CEO of Koko Agrifarms speaks at length on how  Uganda is losing out due to poor product identity.

“Our agricultural products are the best in the world, from bananas to pineapples to mangoes, but they do not have identity,” she said.

Speaking during a recent engagement hosted by the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) under the INVITE programme, she cited cocoa as a clear example , noting that Uganda and Ecuador produce some of the best cocoa globally. However, she said this recognition is rarely attributed to Uganda.

“Uganda and Ecuador produce the best cacao in the world. I visited one of the best cocoa factories in the US located in Hawaii  called Mauna Kea Cacao and found that they are using Ugandan beans. They said Ugandan and Ecuadorian cacao are the best in the world. But that fact is not documented anywhere."

Kitumba also pointed to vanilla, where Uganda is the third largest exporter to the United States, yet receives little recognition.

“The Netherlands is the largest importer of cocoa beans from Uganda and also the largest exporter to the US. But I did not see a single cocoa tree there,” she added.

Besides branding, Kitumba says Uganda faces structural challenges affecting its export competitiveness. She said exporters face hurdles in certification, quality control and logistics, which limit access to high-end markets.

She recalled a case where her company had to pay to destroy a shipment after failing to meet certification requirements in Australia.

“The first hurdle was the certification. You go to UNBS and the certification they are giving does not meet European standards. You find that a lot more has to be put in before a container leaves Mombasa,” she recalled.

“There was an instance where our container left and made it to Australia and we ended up having to pay money for them to destroy our beans because two certifications were not included.”

“We need to educate our exporters when it comes to different certifications needed for the different products.”

Another challenge mentioned by Kitumba is that post-harvest losses remain high.

Uganda, according to the Ministry of Trade, is losing between 35 and 40 per cent of produce due to poor handling, storage and processing.

“In cocoa we have to ferment; but a lot of the farmers we have don’t want to do fermentation. And some who do it, they do it wrong. From here, we have to do drying; and a lot of farmers rely on mother nature."

"They take the beans out in the morning and when at 10 they see rain is coming and cover them with a tarp, meaning that rain water will affect them underneath. We need to invest in solar dryers.”

Kitumba stressed that export success begins at the farm level, urging more funding to support farmer education and compliance with global standards.

She also spoke of the lack of warehousing infrastructure, which prevents farmers and exporters from storing produce and selling when prices are favourable.

The engagement took place under the INVITE programme, an initiative by PSFU aimed at boosting Uganda’s export capacity.

Under its Export Firm Support scheme, the programme has announced UGX 36.2 billion (about $9.8 million) in funding for Ugandan exporters in its third call. The programme is funded by the World Bank alongside the governments of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Sweden.

The initiative aims to support up to 900 firms and create at least 1,800 jobs. Each company can access up to $40,000 to improve areas such as branding, packaging, certification and market access.

Officials say the programme is expanding to include commodity exporters, with a focus on improving product quality and connecting businesses to international markets.

Officials say the programme is expanding to include commodity exporters, with a focus on improving product quality and connecting businesses to international markets.