Uganda coffee prices in September 2026 have dropped to their lowest since early July, and the slide sped up in the first week of the month. The September 4 report from the Uganda Coffee Development Authority put Bugisu AA at 293.10 US cents per pound and screen 18 Robusta at 170.83 US cents per pound. Both grades sit about 15 percent below the peaks they reached in the first half of July.

This post goes through the September 4 numbers grade by grade: how far Arabica and Robusta have moved over the week and the month, what the gap between the two markets says, and where the harvest calendar fits. All prices come from the UCDA daily indicative series, which the authority publishes in US cents per pound.

Uganda coffee prices in September 2026: grade by grade

The September 4 report carries separate lines for the main export grades:

  • Bugisu AA 293.10; Bugisu A and Bugisu PB 292.10; Wugar 291.10; Bugisu B 290.10; Drugar 272.10
  • Screen 18 Robusta 170.83; screen 15 165.83; screen 12 163.83

The washed Arabica lines sit within 3.00 US cents of one another, from Bugisu AA at the top to Bugisu B at the bottom, and Bugisu AA holds a steady 1.00 US cent over Bugisu A. That gap has not moved all summer. Drugar, the dry-processed Arabica line, trades 21.00 US cents below Bugisu AA, a discount of about 7 percent that matches where it started the season.

The Robusta screens are packed tighter. Screen 18 leads screen 15 by 5.00 US cents and screen 12 by 7.00 US cents, a 4.3 percent premium for the top screen over the base grade. In tonne terms that 7.00 US cents per pound is about USD 154 per tonne, so the whole Robusta ladder spans a narrow band.

These are the same daily figures the authority posts for the Kampala market, and the full history for every grade runs on the live Uganda coffee prices dashboard. The numbers below come from that series.

Arabica has given back the summer spike

Bugisu AA peaked at 344.95 US cents on July 8, then spent August between the low 300s and the mid-300s. The grade touched 330.75 in mid-August and slid through the last week: 317.15 on August 28, 293.10 on September 4. That is a 7.6 percent drop in seven days.

Measured over two months the move looks smaller, because the spike and the slide cancel out. Bugisu AA stood at 295.20 on July 4 and at 293.10 on September 4, a decline of 0.7 percent. In tonne terms the September 4 level is about USD 6,462 per tonne. Bugisu A, Bugisu PB, Wugar, and Bugisu B followed the same path within a couple of cents, which is how the washed Arabica group normally moves in this market.

Robusta has fallen further over the month

Screen 18 Robusta reached 201.97 US cents on July 9, the high of the summer series, and sat at 170.83 on September 4, down 15.4 percent from that peak. The one-month move is nearly as large: from 188.07 on August 5 the grade has lost 9.2 percent. Screen 15 and screen 12 ended the period at 165.83 and 163.83 and moved in step throughout.

Measured from early July, Robusta has fallen more than Arabica. Screen 18 is down 9.1 percent from its July 4 level while Bugisu AA is down 0.7 percent. From the July peaks the two markets have dropped about the same distance, which reads like a move in the international market rather than something specific to Uganda. At 170.83 US cents per pound, screen 18 is about USD 3,766 per tonne.

The Arabica premium over Robusta is still wide

The gap between Bugisu AA and screen 18 says more than either market alone. On July 4 the premium was 107.26 US cents, or 57.1 percent over Robusta. It widened through July and August, reached 150.48 US cents on August 16, the widest reading of the summer, and has narrowed since because Arabica fell faster than Robusta in the final week. On September 4 the premium stood at 122.27 US cents, 71.6 percent over screen 18.

The spread is therefore about a quarter wider than it was in early July even after the pullback. For a buyer comparing the two markets, the discount sits with Robusta: the thin gaps between screens 12, 15, and 18 leave little to pay for the top screen right now, while the washed Arabica lines keep a clear premium structure. For buyers who pay local suppliers in shillings, the dollar traded near 3,758 on September 4, so the rate is worth watching while the US cent levels move this fast.

September sits in the firm stretch of the calendar

Where September falls in the harvest year makes the slide worth attention. Uganda's main Robusta crop starts reaching exporters around November and peaks in January and February. The Arabica main crop on Mount Elgon runs from about September to January, peaking around November, and the smaller fly crop has mostly cleared the market by late August. That leaves September as the between-seasons window when old-crop stocks are thinner and prices normally firm up, as our harvest calendar guide explains.

This pullback is therefore not arrival pressure from a new crop; the 2026/27 main crops have not reached export markets yet. What has moved is the price buyers will pay for carry-over stock and the first new-crop lots. The washed Arabica that comes out of the washing stations as the harvest builds toward November will be the first real test of whether the slide continues.

Checks before you price the next lot

A few checks keep a September quote honest.

  • Quote the current report. The daily lines moved 5 to 9 percent in the four weeks to September 4, so an offer built on August levels is already stale.
  • Match the grade on the certificate to the line you quote. A 7.00 US cent gap between screen 18 and screen 12 is easy to overlook and adds up quickly on container volumes.
  • Keep dry-processed Arabica separate from washed in your comparisons. Drugar's discount to Bugisu AA has held near 7 percent all summer, and blending the two lines in one price check misleads.
  • Contract Arabica around the harvest peak. The main crop on Mount Elgon peaks around November and washing stations commit their best lots early; the region pages and the variety profiles show which origins carry which grades.
  • Keep the moisture and grade checks at the dry mill in the terms. The processing guide covers what happens between parchment and export lot, and that is where weight and quality get lost when prices fall.

The buyer's guide walks through registration checks, grade definitions, and contract terms for direct sourcing, and it is the right starting point before you commit to a September or October position.

Uganda coffee prices in September 2026 sit at their lowest since the start of the summer series, with both Arabica and Robusta down about 15 percent from their July peaks and the decline accelerating in the first week of the month. The structure under the market has not changed: washed Arabica still carries a premium of more than 70 percent over Robusta, the screen-to-screen gaps are thin, and the main-crop volume that could test those levels does not arrive until November. The daily reports over the coming weeks will show whether buyers step in at current offers or wait for the harvest build.