Crop calendar
Uganda Coffee Crop Calendar
Cycle summary
- Crop year
- Crop year commonly quoted October–September
- Harvest
- Robusta main crop November–February with a fly crop April–July; Elgon Arabica October–February
- Export window
- Year-round, with the heaviest Robusta shipments December–April
- Species
- Robusta, Arabica
- Altitude
- Robusta 900–1,500 m; Arabica 1,300–2,300 m
- Ports
- Mombasa (Northern Corridor), Dar es Salaam (Central Corridor)
Calendars
4 regional cycles
Each calendar covers one growing area or one crop cycle. Where a country runs more than one, they are shown separately rather than averaged.
Robusta — central, south and Masaka (main crop)
Crop year commonly quoted October–September
- Flowering: Feb–Apr
- Cherry development: Apr–Oct
- Harvest: Nov–Feb
- Processing & drying: Nov–Mar
- Dry milling & grading: Dec–Apr
- Main export window: Dec–Jun
The main Robusta crop supplies the bulk of Ugandan export volume.
Robusta — fly crop (western and lakeshore)
Crop year commonly quoted October–September
- Flowering: Aug–Oct
- Cherry development: Oct–Mar
- Harvest: Apr–Jul
- Processing & drying: Apr–Aug
- Dry milling & grading: May–Sep
- Main export window: May–Oct
The second, smaller cycle keeps Ugandan Robusta available for most of the year.
Arabica — Mount Elgon (Bugisu)
Crop year commonly quoted October–September
- Flowering: Feb–Apr
- Cherry development: Apr–Sep
- Harvest: Oct–Feb
- Processing & drying: Oct–Mar
- Dry milling & grading: Nov–Apr
- Main export window: Dec–Jul
Arabica — West Nile (Okoro) and Kigezi
Crop year commonly quoted October–September
- Flowering: Jan–Mar
- Cherry development: Mar–Jul
- Harvest: Aug–Nov
- Processing & drying: Aug–Dec
- Dry milling & grading: Oct–Feb
- Main export window: Oct–Apr
West Nile picks earlier than Elgon, which is what makes DRUGAR available ahead of the washed Elgon crop.
These are typical ranges
Harvest timing shifts year to year with rainfall, and within a country with altitude and aspect. Treat these as planning ranges rather than as fixed dates, and confirm the position for the specific crop when a shipment window is being agreed.
Regions
Regional harvest timing
Which areas pick when, and what that means for the separations available at each point in the season.
| Region | Altitude | Species | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bugisu (Mount Elgon) | 1,500–2,300 m | Arabica | October–February |
| Rwenzori | 1,400–2,000 m | Arabica | August–November |
| West Nile (Okoro) | 1,400–1,800 m | Arabica | August–November |
| Kigezi | 1,500–2,200 m | Arabica | May–August and October–January |
| Masaka & Greater Lake Victoria | 1,100–1,400 m | Robusta | November–February with a fly crop April–July |
Keep reading
Planning a shipment
- Coffee Crop YearWhat a coffee crop year is, why the convention differs between origins, and why "current crop" should never appear alone in a contract.
- Current Crop vs Past CropWhat distinguishes current crop from past crop green coffee, why storage matters more than age, how to recognise the difference, and how to contract around it.
- Green Coffee ShippingHow green coffee moves from East African origins to destination: corridors, ports, transit time drivers, cargo protection and what to check on arrival.
- Uganda Green CoffeeUgandan green coffee — screen-graded Robusta from the Lake Victoria basin and washed and natural Arabica from Mount Elgon, Rwenzori and West Nile.
- Container Loading for Green CoffeeHow many bags of green coffee fit in a 20ft or 40ft container — and why the honest answer is a calculation, not a number. Payload limits and stow patterns.
- Current AvailabilityCurrent crop availability by origin, species, process and grade.