Gold and Coffee Mask a Weaker Export Basket as Ethiopia Sets a $13.4 Billion Target

As reported by Capital Newspaper

Summary

• Ethiopia generated $11.2 billion in export earnings during the 2025/26 fiscal year, nearly 20 percent above the government's target and about 35 percent higher than the previous year, according to Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration data reported by Capital Newspaper. Most of the growth came from gold and coffee, which together accounted for close to 80 percent of total export revenue, while several other commodity groups underperformed.
• Exports of pulses and oilseeds rose 4.83 percent in volume to 554,837 metric tonnes, but earnings fell 6.16 percent to $571.4 million from $609 million in 2024/25. The ministry had projected $743 million from the two subsectors and reached only about three quarters of that goal. For fiscal year 2026/27, the government has set an export target of $13.4 billion, almost 20 percent above the record just achieved.
• For BirrValue users, strong export earnings bring more dollars into the official system, which supports bank FX supply and can help stabilize rates. Dependence on a narrow export base means that shock to gold or coffee prices could quickly tighten dollar availability. Compare bank rates on [BirrValue](/banks) before converting.