Ethio Agri-CEFT, one of Sheik Mohammed’s agricultural parent companies, began commercial coffee farming in Gojam district of the Amhara Region of Ethiopia, which is not known much as coffee growing area before.
The company announced that it is aggressively producing coffee on 340 hectares of irrigated land in its Ayehu farm. This is the first time for the region, less known for growing coffee, to produce coffee at this scale.
“We are supplying to the international market as one of the brand varieties. This coffee has hints of blueberry and chocolate, with a rich, wine body, and sweet floral aromas. Many rich coffees come out of Ethiopia, and this one is full of flavors that are delightful for any coffee or wine lover,” the company said in its statement.
“Apart from its promotion of Ayehu’s coffee, we are appreciative of the Ethio Agri-CEFT coffee growing training it offered to 390 individual farmers from Amhara region and even beyond held at its farm. I myself have visited the farm and witnessed this,” the statement quoted Dr. Teshome Walle, Amhara Regional State Agriculture Bureau head.
The productivity of the Ayehu farm has been 10quintals per hectare and currently the coffee production capacity of the farm has reached 2000 quintals per annum from only 1000 quintals due to the improved coffee growing management and application of inputs, the statement noted.
“We would also like to assure all concerned that we will further expand the production of coffee in Ayehu increasing the 340 hectares to 1000 in the short term and beyond in the long run to promote Amhara coffee and achieve the development vision of Sheik Mohammed H. Ali Al Amoudi,” said Essayas Kebede, Ethio Agri-CEFT PLC.
“With the current 2015/16 Ethiopian production year our expectation is a total production of 3000 quintals and to achieve 15quintals per hectare productivity,” Ato Essayas added.
Also in the near future, the company has set to expand the coffee growing farm to 1000 ha and to increase the annual production to 20,000 qt with 20 qt per hectare productivity, he said.
The General Manager indicated that the USA and Germany are among the buyer countries of the Ayehu coffee. Ayehu, located about 500 kms from Addis Ababa northwestern Ethiopia, Gojjam province, has produced the latest Roastmaster’s Reserve.
[newbusinessethiopia.com]