Ethiopia targets the new and emerging markets in the Far East and Eastern Europe to increase its coffee export volume in GTP-2, Ministry of Trade disclosed.
The country currently reaches about 45 coffee export destinations, including Germany, Saudi Arabia, United States of America, Japan, Belgium, Italy, France, Sudan, Sweden and United Kingdom that are the main Ethiopian coffee importers.
China, South Korea and Eastern Europe are among the new and emerging coffee export markets targeted in the second GTP, it was indicated.
Coffee Marketing Director with the Ministry of Trade, Getahun Bikora said activities will be exerted in promoting the country’s fine coffee types to enter the new and emerging markets.
He said the main activities would be participating and demonstrating actively at the various coffee exhibitions and conferences.
The nation has been engaged in branding and trade-marking its fine coffees to promote and increase destinations.
Coffee, which originated in Ethiopia, generates about 24 percent of the total foreign currency of the country.
The country has secured 4-billion-USD revenue during the past five years from coffee.
The government has been taking major activities such as strengthening modern coffee marketing system, increasing production and productivity, creating favorable condition for coffee producers, traders, processors, exporters and service providers, the director pointed out.
“Taking the best experiences of the first GTP, the government will give priority to value addition to attract more importers in the world’s coffee market alongside exports of raw coffee beans in the second GTP”, Getahun added.
Accordingly, the government plans to strengthen coffee marketing system in all coffee producing regions, build the capacity of coffee producing farmers, cooperatives/ unions, and private suppliers.
Some 99 percent of the coffee sector is dominated by the private sector and the government should facilitate favorable policy, logistics, loan, and market ties, the director stated.
For Ethiopia to benefit more from its major export item, the private sector has to be competent in the world’s coffee market with increasing capacity and engagement, he emphasized.
Some of the world’s finest coffees such as Harrar, Sidamo and Yirgacheffee, the three famous trademarks of Ethiopia’s finest coffees are branded, while Nekemt and Limu are on the way to be branded soon.
Ethiopia is considered the first in Africa and the 5th in the world in coffee production and the 3rd largest Arabica coffee producer in the world.
[EthiopianNewsAgency]