ETHIOPIA
Ethiopian coffee exports for the fiscal year ending in February increased nearly 22%, according to the country’s Coffee and Tea Development and Marketing Authority.
Shafi Umer, authority’s deputy director, told The Ethiopian Herald that 137,417 tons of cereal coffee were exported from July to February 2017-18, generating more than $482 million.
Reforms instituted in 2016 led to the gains, the official said, including cost reductions and the creation of new opportunities for farmers, suppliers, exporters, and industries to benefit from a direct market chain. Farmers now have improved options to sell their products directly to the industries and suppliers, The Ethiopian Herald reported.