Ethiopia’s coffee production is set to be boosted with 16 new washing plants, a producers’ union has announced.
The Bench Maji Coffee Producers Cooperative Union said the plants would go operational soon.
When completed, the Union – which already operates five coffee washing plants with another under construction – would own 22 such plants to raise the quality of its production as well as maximize benefits of its members.
The Union brings together more than 20,000 coffee farmers in Bench Sheko Zone of South Nations, Nationalities and peoples State which is known for its production of the Kaffa Forest Coffee variety.
The Union earned over 608 million Birr in the just-ended budget year from the sale of coffee, honey and spices. About 380 million Birr has been earned from exporting 2,323 metric tons of coffee, while the rest came from selling coffee, honey and spices in the domestic market. Out of the total revenue earned during the fiscal year, about 227 million ETB is profit, it was revealed.
With Agriculture is the dominant sector of Ethiopia’s economy, coffee accounted for 29.5% of the country’s total exports in 2017/2018.
The fifth-largest producer of coffee in the world generated $854m from exporting the commodity in 2018/2019, an increase of 13 per cent when compared with the previous fiscal year.
Some 77 per cent of the total revenue goes to the agriculture sector with coffee, flowers, oilseeds, Khat and grains being the major items exported to the international market.