About MARKUP
The Market Access Upgrade Programme (MARKUP) is a regional development initiative providing support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda by targeting specific agricultural commodities. A key of objective of the project is to improve EU and regional market access for EAC countries in selected sub-sectors. Coffee is one of the focus areas for development.
This means the programme aims to promote coffee from East Africa to those markets. This is an opportunity to find new buyers in those areas, create direct trade and long lasting relationships with those buyers.
Through the EAC Window, MARKUP supports the EAC efforts to increase regional trade and exports to international markets.
The Programme also builds capacity and strengthens small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to identify and address critical barriers to trade and to maximise opportunities that regional integration would afford for SMEs. The work in the Partner States Window is tailored to the specific needs of each Partner State. Targeting SMEs, sector associations and Government institutions, the Programme supports initiatives to address selected supply side constraints and enhance competitiveness.
World coffee consumption has been on an upward trend for the last 10 years. The European market accounts for nearly 30% of this, growing predominantly for the specialty, high quality and high value coffee.
EAC exports of coffee have increased to a value of 1bn US$ in 2017, accounting for 20 percent of food exports; mostly to this market.
MARKUP intends to contribute to the economic development of the EAC region by increasing the value of both extra- and intra-regional agricultural exports, with a focus on exports towards the European Union.
