NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar – Coffee could be the next big export product for Myanmar. But the industry needs support and protection from the government to produce the crop and before local growers start competing in the international market.
In 2015-16, the Asian exported a total of 1,137 tons of coffee beans, more than double what it exported in 2011-12, according to data revealed by the Department of Trade.
Myanmar coffee is now exported to the US, Europe, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, China and Taiwan.
This year, new markets for Myanmar coffee in the UK, Australia and Iceland have also emerged.
“Now, we have quite a lot of coffee markets. So we need to be thread wisely as competition in the market is strong. We need develop coffee into a vital export crop but also produce coffee systematically and according to market demand. Also, it cannot be done by only private companies; we need the government to participate in schemes such as public-private partnerships,” Myanmar Coffee Association chair U Ye Myint, told The Myanmar Times.
Out of the ten 20-foot containers worth of coffee exported in 2016-17, two 20-foot containers carrying a total 2,000 tons of coffee was shipped to the US, according to the Association.
“We participated in the US coffee exhibition for two years straight and received good feedback and interest in our coffee. So, we must capitalise on that demand,” said U Ye Myint.
Currently, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation expects to produce coffee on 200,000 acres of coffee plantation land between 2018 and 2020. It hopes to produce up to 60,000 tons by 2030.
This year, domestic coffee production will reach about 2,000 tons on average, according to the Myanmar Coffee Association.
Chan Mya Htwe
