Record volume and revenue for Ethiopian coffee exports

Ethiopia’s Coffee and Tea Authority (ECTA) said Wednesday that the country earned a record $1.868 billion from coffee exports over the past 10 months.

Its director-general, Adugna Debela, said 354,302 thousand tonnes were sold, with Germany, Saudi Arabia, and the United States ranked as its top three destinations.

These figures represents an increase of 70 per cent in volume and 87 per cent in revenue compared to the same period in the last fiscal year.

Debela described this as an “outstanding achievement” and the outcome of a well-coordinated national effort.

He also expressed optimism that the next two months of the fiscal year would build on the same momentum.

Coffee production is seen as the backbone of the country’s agriculture-led economy and is the primary source of its export revenue.

The brew is one of the world's most widely consumed beverages with an estimated 2 and a quarter billion cups of it is consumed daily.

It is also one of the most traded commodities, with the Arabica species representing the majority of global coffee production.

The variety makes a cup of joe that is smooth and mild with fruity and nutty notes.

Last year researchers unlocked the genome of the Arabica species and confirmed that its origins were in Ethiopia’s southwestern highlands.

The country’s coffee producers, many of them smallholder farmers, take great pride in their high-quality beans.

They are a result of Ethiopia’s exceptional heirloom varieties, high altitudes, and traditional farming practices.

Farmers believe the characteristic flavour and quality of Ethiopian coffee is derived from growing it in the shade of larger trees.