• Ethiopia secures 674.5 mln USD exporting coffee in 4-month
As one of the largest coffee producing countries in the world, Ethiopia is striving to improve the quality and volume of the cash crop. As part of this effort, Ethiopia and other African countries should work in unison to comply with various international rules and standards, including the EU’s regulation on deforestation-free coffee production (EUDR).
Officials and Members of Inter-African Coffee Organization (IACO) stated that Africa should value the EU deforestation free coffee production standards to supply processed coffee to the European market and the rest of the world thereby obtaining adequate benefit from the sector.
Ethiopia wrapped up a two-day IACO High-Level Policy Forum and the 64th Annual General Assembly themed, “Building Resilience and Competitiveness in African Coffee: From Farm to Market.”
During the closing event, Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority (ECTA’s) Director General Adugna Debela (PhD) recently said that Ethiopia is committed to deforestation-free supply chains and sustainable forest management, which help to increase export and business opportunities.
He mentioned that the country secured over 674.55 million USD from exporting more than 150,000 tons of coffee in the past four months of the current fiscal year.
According to Adugna, implementing new regulations such as EUDR and the corporate sustainability due diligence directive (CS3D) set by the European Union also requires concerted effort among stakeholders engaged in exporting coffee to the international market, including private sectors and international development partners.
“African coffee production remains a significant source of export income, accounting for approximately 12% of the world’s coffee bean production. It is important for us to work together to maximize the benefits of this untapped resource and invest in the African coffee industry to support local farmers’ livelihoods,” Adugna noted.
Ethiopia, as the birthplace of coffee, takes immense pride in its enduring legacy as a leader in the global coffee sector, said Agriculture Minister, Girma Amente (PhD) noting that coffee in Ethiopia is far more than an economic crop, since it is also a cultural symbol.
Therefore, he said, IACO collective commitment is a crucial step to bring the growth and transformation of Africa’s coffee sector.
Girma further stated that the improvement of coffee production would play a significant role in Africa’s socio-economic development with its immense potential to drive regional integration, generate employment, and improve livelihoods across the continent.
“Over the years, Ethiopia has consistently championed efforts to improve the productivity, quality, and market access of African coffee. However, we also recognize the challenges that lie ahead such as climate change, price volatility and evolving regulatory frameworks like the European Union Deforestation Regulation and Ethiopia is steadfast in working collaboratively with fellow African countries to forge sustainable solutions,” he added.
The Minister called up on IACO, UNIDO, ECTA and the partners strengthen the relationship and realize Africa’s coffee quality product to sustain livelihoods, shared heritage, and aspiration in this regard.
“Though coffee is a strategic commodity in Africa, the production and productivity is gone down. It means that the sector requires reclaiming the right place of coffee potential in the world,” Department of Agriculture, Rural Development Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment (DARBE-Lesotho) Commissioner’s Special Advisor Prof. Afeikhena Theo said.
Afeikhena told The Ethiopian Herald that alongside with emphasis on environmentally-friendly farms in Africa, coffee needs more value and process that to set the EU quality requirements by fighting against degradation of land. Ethiopia is one of the largest coffee producers in African continent even with 50 % of the product consumed by the local community.
He added that the inconsistency of value chain is a serious factor among Africa’s coffee producers that hinder the continent from generating adequate benefit from the sector. Therefore, the member countries of IACO, UNDP, private sectors, civil society organizations and related institutions should work jointly to address bottlenecks in quality coffee production across African countries.
UNIDO’s Coffee Value Chain Expert, Chiara Scaraggi expressed that coffee is a major contributor of Africa’s economy and one of the most widely consumed product by the international community. However, some 5.5 million coffee farmers are still living under poverty due to lack of infrastructure, promotion, quality, economic volatility, and the likes.
In response to this challenge, she indicated that UNIDO is working on technical facility, financial support, and public-private partnerships to improve quality of coffee in the world in a sustainable manner.
Scaraggi also expressed UNIDO’s dedication to provide consistent technical and financial support to coffee growers in Africa to ensure the sustainable benefit of coffee farmers and their countries by improving the quality of the product.
BY MESERET BEHAILU
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD THURSDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2024
