BY FIKADU BELAY
ADDIS ABABA– Having established the Coffee Science Department a few years ago, Bonga University said that it will graduate the first batch of 37 students in a BA degree.
The university opened the department considering Ethiopia is the origin of coffee and it is one of the largest producers of the commodity in the world, President Petros Woldegiorgis (PhD) told the Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA). “Although coffee is the largest source of foreign exchange to Ethiopia, the initiative to open the department dedicated to the commodity is very late. “
Petros further stated that the opening of the coffee studies department at Bonga University will boost coffee consumption and significantly strengthen the national economy. To stop dependence on aid, it is crucial to support economic resources like coffee through research and education.
In this regard, in-depth research was carried out to employ local resources for the benefit of the local community, and to alleviate potential workplace challenges. To this end, the University decided to establish the nation’s first coffee science department.
The university’s compound is home to more than 82.3 hectares of coffee plantations, which have been able to generate cash by harvesting twice a year and translating theoretical knowledge into practice.
The facility owns 200 hectares of farmland, out of which 50 hectares have been meant for various amenities while the remaining 150 hectares are designated to grow plants like coffee, mango, avocado, pineapple, papaya, banana, spice, and apple. This farming would be an input to an agro-industry and would substitute imports. Bonga University is aiming to develop skilled labor in the field of coffee science and it will provide programs at postgraduate and PhD levels, the president remarked.
The Ethiopian Herald April 15/2023
