BY DARGIE KAHSAY
Ethiopia’s Coffee export hits a record this year as it earned one billion USD for the first time within 10 months. This income was earned following comprehensive efforts both in increasing productivity, export and penetrating the international market by the efforts of the government and stakeholders.
According to the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority (ECTA), Ethiopia has earned 1.014 billion US Dollars from coffee export during 10 months of this budget year, which is a record in history, as the country’s earning from Coffee export surpasses one billion USD in a single budget year. Not only has the earned revenue, the country’s Coffee export amount has increased. The record-breaking revenue from Coffee export has been earned by exporting some 232,000 tons of coffee over the last ten months.
In the 10 months export revenue from coffee, ECTA Director General Adugna Debela stated that, compared to the last year’s the same period performance, the export revenue performance shows an increment of over 400 million US Dollars. For him, this is a remarkable achievement in the history of Ethiopia’s Coffee export. For him, in addition to the revenue, the export volume of Coffee has increased by 40 percent from the past year’s similar period.
Coffee remains the leading export item of Ethiopia with the lion’s share in foreign currency earnings for the country and the authority plans to increase the export volume until the end of this year up to 300 thousand tons of Coffee. As the leading export product of the country, Ethiopia gives due attention to increase the productivity and revenue from the sector. Aiming at enhancing the productivity and revenue of the Coffee sector, Ethiopia is implementing Coffee Strategy, which includes modernizing the sector and investing in increasing the coverage of Coffee plant with new plantations.
As part of the strategy, Coffee plantation gets due priority in the current Green Legacy Initiative of Ethiopia launched in 2019 to increase the country’s forest coverage by planting over 20 billion seedlings within four years period. For the upcoming rainy season, which is the fourth plantation season, Ethiopia prepares over 6.3 billion seedlings according to Ministry of Agriculture. From the total prepared seedlings, Coffee seedling has a huge share.
According to Ministry of Agriculture, from the total of over 6 billion prepared seedlings to be planted on the upcoming rainy season, over 40 percent are plants for food security purpose, mainly Coffee, Mango, Papaya, Banana and other fruits. Coffee takes the lion share from the plants preparing for the plantation for food security purpose. Taking lessons from every year’s achievements and performances of the plantation, huge amount of indigenous tree and plants for food security purpose seedlings are readied for the fourth year plantation period.
As part of both the Green Legacy Initiative and enhancing Coffee plantation coverage, Oromia state has planned to plant over 1.3 billion seedlings during the fourth year plantation period, according to Oromia Agriculture Bureau. Oromia Regional State announced that over 4.3 billion seedlings are prepared for the fourth year seedling plantation period, adding that from the total readied seedlings, 1.3 billion seedlings are Coffee trees.
Oromia Agriculture Bureau announced that preparation is underway for the fourth year green legacy initiative and necessary seedling is already prepared and land preparation continues. As the fourth year plantation campaign gives due attention for food security plants in addition to planting trees for forest coverage, the bureau stated, Oromia is preparing huge amount of seedlings for food security purpose, including Coffee, mango, avocado and other fruits and vegetables.
As the top producer of Coffee in the country, Oromia is giving attention to increase the coverage of Coffee tree parallel to caring the available coffee resource to enhance the productivity and revenue of the sector. For this purpose, due preparation is underway to plant over 1.3 billion coffee seedlings in the major Coffee producing Zones of the regional state, Bureau Deputy head Mohammed Sani told FBC. In addition to the seedlings, land and hole preparation is underway.
Visiting the preparation in Jima Zone of Oromia state for the upcoming seedling plantation season, Mohammed stated that the preparation is going well to plant the seedlings. The Jima Zone preparation according to him is exemplary and similar preparations have continued across the state. Jima Zone Administrator Tijani Nassir on his part noted that necessary preparation is finalized to plant over 455 million Coffee seedlings in the Zone.
For Tijani all seedlings prepared in the zone are plants suitable with the ecology of the area including indigenous trees known in the area. On top of that, huge amount of the prepared seedlings have intentionally taken in to consideration the benefit of the trees for the farmers of the zone for food security and for animal feed.
Mohammed, Deputy Bureau head of Oromia Agriculture Bureau underlined that, the region is striving to increase the coverage of coffee plant to enhance the productivity of the sector including introducing modernizing the way of coffee farming. As a strategy to develop the coverage, productivity and revenue from the sector, cluster coffee plantation gets due attention. By increasing the coverage of Coffee, the region aims to increase the production and productivity which is vital to increase the export volume of the sector.
“Ethiopia has huge potential of coffee production naturally,” Mohammed said adding that “adding efforts in the natural gift would help the country to further its revenue from the sector.” As the major source of Coffee product, Oromia aims to increase its productivity in the sector for the sustainability of the ever growing export volume and revenue earning of the country’s top export sector.
Similarly, Kaffa Zone of South Western Ethiopia State announced that preparations are underway to plant 32.9 million Coffee seedlings during the upcoming rainy season, Coffee, Tea and Spice Office of the Zone announced, adding last year over 15.9 million coffee seedlings were planted in the Zone.
By planting over 32 million new coffee seedlings, Kaffa Zone has a plan to increase the Zone’s Garden Coffee coverage from its current 182 thousand hectare to 190 thousand hectare, according to Office head Moges Tekle. The plantation is already started in the Zone Moges said adding that, in a single day on June 07, the Zone plans to plant 10 million coffee seedlings by mobilizing over 80 thousand people. For Moges, the coffee plantation is part of the green legacy initiative of Ethiopia that aims to increase the forest coverage and enhancing important plants for food security of the country.
Across the country, mainly in the major coffee producing states, increasing the coverage of coffee tree gets due attention in the national green legacy campaign during the past two years. Taking experiences from the first green legacy initiative, in addition to the billion seedlings planting for forest coverage purpose, Ethiopia gives due attention planting seedlings for food security purpose. Coffee, Ethiopia’s naturally gifted green gold gets due attention in this plantation and it takes the lion’s share in the seedling plantation.
By increasing the coverage of coffee plant with new plantation, Ethiopia aims to increase its production and productivity from the sector. By increasing its productivity, Ethiopia is working to sustainably increase its earning revenue from exporting coffee to the world market. In addition to increasing its plantation coverage, to penetrate the world market, Ethiopia is searching new export destinations. By doing so, its export and earning revenue is increasing from time to time.
The Ethiopian Herald Mat 31/2022
