A new flight filled with Ugandan produce is now landing in the UK weekly as the African country looks to fill in the gaps amid global trade disruption.
The new Uganda Airlines cargo plane to Gatwick is carrying up to 25 tonnes of produce such as sweet potatoes, bananas, avocados and peppers, as well as coffee, the country’s top export.
The route is set to meet increasing demand from British grocers including Tesco and M&S, according to the Ugandan government’s top advisor on exports and agriculture, Odrek Rwabwogo.
“The 25-tonne figure is still small but the more our production picks up, the more we can send cargo flights to meet that demand,” he said.
Amid geopolitical disruption and the uncertainty of a west-east trade war, Uganda is gearing up to become a major exporting nation, with a goal to export around $12bn worth of goods by 2029 – a jump from today’s $4.5bn figure, according to Rwabwogo.
“There is consistency and quality in our products,” he said, adding government and industry have invested heavily in irrigation systems in recent years to increase production of “high-value” fresh produce and other agricultural goods for exports.
Rwabwogo said that goal would be supported by an increase in goods sent to key regions like the UK, the EU, the Gulf countries and China, where demand for coffee in particular continues to grow.
The east African nation had not been affected by weather changes in a “significant way” compared with other big coffee producing regions like Vietnam and Brazil, he said, where supply has plummeted over the past year due to unfavourable climate.
Additionally, shipping to the US has become pricier and more uncertain due to Donald Trump’s tariffs.
As a result, Uganda has been selling more arabica and robusta beans to both Europe and China to fill in the demand gaps and mitigate supply chain disruptions.
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