Madagascar and Uganda are African vanilla origins. A useful supplier profile explains the bean, the curing process and the evidence behind the product.
603.3 tonnesUganda’s reported gross vanilla exports · calendar year 2024
The production and trade picture
World Bank WITS / UN Comtrade records 603,292 kg of Uganda’s gross vanilla exports in 2024, equivalent to about 603.3 tonnes. This is exports, not farm production.
For historical production context, CBI’s May 2023 study reports 185 tonnes of Ugandan vanilla beans in 2020 and at least 150 tonnes in 2021. These older figures must not be presented as today’s production.
A clearer buyer conversation
Useful information to discuss and organise:
Origin, harvest and curing records
Bean form, length, moisture and agreed quality description
Batch identity, product authenticity and supporting test results
Crossgates brings supplier information and supporting documents together in a Verified Trade Passport so the business behind the product is easier to assess.
Prepare your product for a buyer conversation
Start with one clearly described product, one origin and one intended market. Use these prompts to build a practical brief with the Crossgates team.
Describe the product form
Specify whole cured beans, cuts, powder, extract or another form. State species if known, origin, harvest period and the producer or processor.
Agree the quality description
Discuss bean length, appearance, moisture and available quality or authenticity tests. For extracts or blends, provide the ingredients and specification rather than treating them as equivalent to whole beans.
Record curing and supply
Organise curing, batch, packing and storage records. Explain sample availability, available quantity and delivery timing, and keep future crop estimates separate from current stock.
What Crossgates can help you organise
A structured business profile, product brief, supporting-record list and clearly identified gaps. Agree the review scope, deliverables and sharing permissions before work begins. A Verified Trade Passport records the applicable review; it does not replace official approvals or the buyer’s own assessment.
For your first enquiry, include the product form, business location, available quantity, intended destination and the documents you already hold. Do not upload private supporting records to a public page.
Five largest reported country values in this comparison. See the full country table for remaining reporters.See the African country values used in this calculation
Reported export values · current US dollars · 2023
Reporting country
Export value
Madagascar
US$271,656,520
Uganda
US$25,571,600
Mauritius
US$12,467,720
Comoros
US$2,642,640
South Africa
US$904,370
Tanzania
US$594,100
Congo, Dem. Rep.
US$89,680
Djibouti
US$40,940
Sao Tome and Principe
US$31,940
Egypt, Arab Rep.
US$31,120
Namibia
US$18,960
Kenya
US$10,070
Cote d'Ivoire
US$830
Senegal
US$250
Morocco
US$20
Angola
US$10
What these numbers mean
The figures show that Africa holds a substantial share of reported vanilla export value. Calling this a tiny African share would misrepresent the evidence. The relevant challenge is how an individual business demonstrates quality, provenance and reliable supply within a valuable but specialised product trade.
Where the commercial gap appears
An offer should distinguish the product form, origin, curing process, grade, moisture specification, lot size and intended use. Bean exports are not interchangeable with vanilla extract, synthetic flavouring or the retail value of foods containing vanilla. Those broader markets are outside this comparison.
The gap Crossgates addresses
Crossgates helps assemble supplier identity, product descriptions and relevant supporting records into a traceable review. A buyer should be able to see which information was supplied, which documents were examined and which source checks or confirmations remain outstanding.
Turn the opportunity into a prepared offer
Prepare dated lot records, available laboratory results, storage and packaging information, photographs that relate to the actual product and an achievable delivery plan. Document clarity can support a more informed buyer conversation; it should not be presented as proof of a premium price or a completed sale.
How to read this comparison
Common historical baseline: calendar year 2023, current US dollars, partner “World”, gross exports, and the stated HS 1988/92 product classification. These are reported export values, not retail market revenue, profit, farmer income or Crossgates transactions. More recent releases may be available; 2023 is used consistently across these product comparisons.
World total = sum of the reporting economies in the linked table, excluding the European Union aggregate to avoid counting it alongside EU member countries. Africa total = sum of the African reporting countries listed above. Share = Africa total ÷ world total × 100. Source values are in thousands of US dollars and are multiplied by 1,000. Display totals are rounded; percentages use unrounded values.
Missing country reports are not zero exports. Re-exports remain included; an export recorded from an African country does not necessarily mean the product was grown there. The comparison is a snapshot of reported trade, not a complete estimate of value retained in Africa. Accessed 27 October 2026.
Reviewed 20 October 2026. Figures refer to the stated periods; they do not represent current supplier stock. Production, exports and projections are labelled separately.
Historical comparison: 2023 reported gross exports, current US dollars. Africa’s share is calculated from the reporting countries, not from retail sales or farmer income. Source: World Bank WITS, using UN Comtrade. All eight totals were recalculated against the linked source tables on 29 October 2026.
The download contains unrounded totals, the number of reporting economies and the calculation method. The country tables above show the African values used. Missing reports are not treated as zero. The EU aggregate is excluded to avoid double counting.