ETHIOPIA – Africa’s biggest producer of coffee earned 787 million Birr (US$14.68m) from the export of the commodity during the last eight months, according to Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority (ECTA).
The Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority is an institution formed under the Ethiopian Council of Ministers’ mandate to support, guide, protect, and empower the development of the coffee, tea, and spice industry.
Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority Deputy Director-General, Shafi Umer told Ethiopian News Agency that coffee trading has declined by 32% globally. He attributed the diminishing prices to COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war, especially exports to Europe.
Nonetheless, the country registered better performance than that of the same period last fiscal year by expanding its market destination.
According to Umer, the government consequently introduced coffee export trade reform and expanded market destinations by taking into consideration global conditions.
As a result of its expanded exports to new markets such as the United Arab Emirates, China, and Australia, the country exported 143,762 tons of coffee, earning US$787 million during the last eight months.
The re-establishment of ECTA in 2016 has brought about a renewed focus on improving productivity, quality, and market efficiency to make the Ethiopian coffee sector to be competent in the global market, analysts in the country explained.
TechnoServe highlights that Coffee already represents a vital part of Ethiopia’s economy, generating up to 30% of the country’s foreign exchange earnings and supporting the livelihoods of more than a quarter of the population.
According to the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority, the East African country has been commissioning strenuous quality measures to enhance its coffee export earnings and strategies to help it to reach almost 1.26 million MT in 2033.
ECTA, through this Comprehensive Ethiopian Coffee Strategy and Implementation Roadmap (CECSIR), aims to develop a long-term, shared vision for the coffee sector in Ethiopia.
Additionally, ECTA also has a strategy developed in collaboration with the Ethiopian Institute of Agriculture Research (EIAR) and international nonprofit TechnoServe, which identifies opportunities across the coffee value chain to improve incomes for farmers and create jobs for millions of workers.
The strategy is divided into six key pillars that correspond to important sections of the Ethiopian coffee value chain: research, production and extension, value-addition, processing, marketing, and strengthening the coffee sector.
The non-profit organization said the success of the strategy will require continuous and coordinated efforts from all relevant private and public stakeholders as well as support from key financial and technical partners, donors, and investors.
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