KAMPALA, Sept 23 (Reuters) – The value of Uganda’s coffee exports in August soared 82.9% versus a year earlier helped by higher global prices, the state-run sector regulator said in a report on Monday.

Uganda is Africa’s largest exporter of the beans which are, alongside gold, the country’s biggest sources of foreign exchange.

In August Uganda shipped 837,915 60-kilogram bags of coffee worth $221.6 million, according to the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA).

“The value of coffee exports was higher as global coffee prices continue to rise as dry conditions in Brazil and Vietnam are seen to affect coffee crop yields,” UCDA said in the report.

Uganda exported 743,517 60-kilogram bags in August last year, worth $121.64 million.

Uganda earned $1.4 billion from coffee exports in the 12 months to August, up from $918.4 million last year, continuing a general upward trend in earnings in recent years, the UCDA said.

(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; editing by Hereward Holland and Jason Neely)