Thierry Pairault posted on 11 July 2026 an analysis titled "The African Coffee Industry and the Chinese Tariff Exemption."
This working paper examines how China's coffee market has evolved and the role that Africa has played in it. Africa is a modest source (7.4 percent in 2024) for Chinese coffee imports. Five African countries export green coffee beans to China: Ethiopia (70 percent of the African total), Uganda (20 percent), Tanzania (5 percent), Kenya (3 percent), and Rwanda (2 percent).
China is a minor customer for African coffee and all five countries except Kenya paid no tariffs prior to China's recent Africa-wide zero tariff policy. The zero-tariff policy will benefit Kenya. In addition, African producers are confronted with importer-processors who set the conditions of the market. China's tariff exemption matters little in terms of shaping of their industrial and commercial strategies given that it affects only minimal quantities.
