Addis Ababa, 12 August 2016 (WIC) – Ethiopia set to become the second coffee producer in the world within a decade, the Ministry of Farming and Natural Resource has announced.
State Minster of the Ministry, Wondyirad Mandefro, said that Ethiopia will become at least the second largest coffee producer in the world within a decade.
He said that it is very painful to see that we are left behind over the past century in terms of developing suitable technology that can improve the productivity of coffee in comparison to the developed coffee producers like Brazil and Colombia.
The Minster said so while officially launching the beginning of preparation for the 15th African Fine Coffee Conference and Exhibition planned to takes place in Addis Ababa from February 12th to 17th, 2017.
The conference is a unique opportunity for Ethiopia to unveil its vision for the sector, he said.
The conference is believed to be buyer-oriented events which bring together buyers from all over the world. It is expected to gather more than 2,000 coffee producers, traders and professionals from all over the world. Besides, over 100 exhibitors are expected to showcase their products ranging from coffee, machinery to packing.
Coffee farm visit and African Barista competitions are among the programs slated to takes place.
According to information obtained from African Fine Coffee Association, the conference is taking place in Addis Ababa for the third time since the association was established at the turn of the third millennium. Ethiopia has hosted the conference in 2007 and 2011.
Coffee is the second largest globally traded commodity next to oil. Over 2.25 billion cups of coffee is consumed globally every day according to the same source. And Ethiopia is the birth place of Arabica Coffee known for its fine aroma and taste.