Ethiopia is targeting new and emerging markets in the Far East and Eastern Europe to increase its coffee export volume during the Second Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP-2) period from 2015 to 2020, the Ministry of Trade says.
The country’s coffee currently reaches about 45 export destinations, including Germany, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Japan, Belgium, Italy, France, Sudan, Sweden Britain which are the leading importers.
China, South Korea and Eastern Europe are among the new and emerging coffee export markets targeted in the second GTP, it was indicated.
The Coffee Marketing Director with the Ministry of Trade, Getahun Bikora, said here monday that activities would be exerted in promoting the country’s fine coffees to the new and emerging markets. The main activities would be participating and demonstrating actively at various coffee exhibitions and conferences.
The nation has been engaged in brand building and trade-marking its fine coffees to promote and increase their export destinations.
Coffee, which originated in Ethiopia, generates about 24 per cent of the total foreign currency earnings of the country, amounting to some 4.0 billion US dollars during the past five years.
The government has been undertaking major activities such as strengthening the modern coffee marketing system, increasing production and productivity, creating favourable conditions for coffee producers, traders, processors, exporters and service providers, the director pointed out.
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 leading African and 5th largest world coffee producer and the 3rd largest Arabica coffee producer in the world.
