Ethiopia hopes coffee conference to boost trade

Ethiopia hopes coffee conference was a success.

ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia hopes that last week’s international conference on coffee will help boost the trade in Ethiopia’s top export and increase free and fair trade.

Ironically, despite Ethiopia’s position atop the international coffee trade, it was the first time the conference was held in the East African country.

The Vice-President of the Ethiopian Coffee Exporters Association Board, Emebet Tafesse, and Board Member, Tadesse Meskela, said some 250 representatives from local and international coffee organizations, including the Executive Director of the International Coffee Organization, Robério Oliveira Silva, participated in the two-day conference November 8-9.

According to the officials, the conference aimed at boosting Ethiopia’s “status and promoting Ethiopian coffee in the global coffee market.”


“We believe that this is a monumental moment for coffee growers in the country to reach an international audience in such a setting and it was successful,” one government official told Bikyamasr.com on the sidelines of the discussions.

“Ethiopia is a leader in the coffee industry so there is no denying the important role this country will play on global coffee decisions,” the official added.

They said the conference also helped to find solutions to problems relating to coffee production and supply. It will push the country to achieve its plans to earn over $1.1 billion by supplying 220,000 tons of coffee to the world market during the Growth and Transformation Plan.

The Ethiopian Coffee Exporters Association was established 40 years ago, and it plans to organize coffee exhibitions to promote Ethiopian coffee and its products. Ethiopia is the original home of coffee, with the name deriving from the Kaffa region in the southwest of the country.

“The rich culture of coffee and the ceremonies of drinking it reflect the country’s long history,” the organizers of the conference said.

www.bikyamasr.com