KAMPALA, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Uganda's export earnings for the year ending February 2026 grew by 63 percent largely due to gold and coffee, a new report said here Saturday.

The Performance of the Economy Report for March 2026 issued by the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development showed that export earnings grew to 1.37 billion U.S. dollars in February 2026, compared to 839.28 million dollars in February 2025.

"This growth was mainly on account of a significant increase in gold and coffee export receipts over this period," the report showed.

Gold export earnings more than doubled, increasing from 318.71 million dollars to 818.16 million dollars over the same period. This was largely due to higher global gold prices supported by increased demand for gold as a safe-haven asset amid geopolitical uncertainties, as well as continued reserve diversification by central banks, the report showed.

Coffee export earnings rose to 180.98 million dollars in February 2026 from 167.68 million dollars in February 2025. This increase was mainly driven by higher export volumes, which rose to 651,933 sixty-kilogram bags from 555,756 bags, on account of improved production.

The report also showed Uganda's import bill grew by 65.2 percent year-on-year, rising to 1.4 billion dollars in February 2026 from 883.8 million dollars in February 2025. The growth was driven by increased volumes of mineral products, machinery, and chemical goods.

The report also showed that the country's economy continues to be resilient despite the geopolitical tensions. Performance indicators like the Composite Index of Economic Activity grew by 0.6 percent between January and February 2026, reaching 185.6, a performance underpinned by export growth, rising aggregate demand, stable inflation and steady growth in the private sector. ■