Ethiopia has earned $407 million from coffee export during the past seven months, a senior of the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority has said.
The country had exported 150,000 tonnes of coffee in seven months to secure the state sum of revenue, Dr Adugna Debela, Director General of CTA, told journalists on Monday
Ethiopian coffee production is expected to rise to 7.35 million tonnes in 2020, an 1.4 percent increase from the 2018/19 season.
Exports account for just over half of overall production, and are forecast to grow 0.5 percent this year from the previous year to reach 4 million bags.
Despite a high-volume in export, the revenue is less than it was 10 years ago because of lower prices, he said.
Exporters in the country are facing increased regulation said, with the government banning several exporters in recent months for defaulting on their contracts and hoarding beans, U.S. Department of Agriculture attache in Addis Ababa (USDA) was quoted as saying earlier.
While supplies are greater this year thanks to higher yields due to better rains and the reduced prevalence of disease, the USDA’s forecast ed yield of 0.82 tonnes per hectare comes in well below the government’s target of 1.1 tonnes per hectare.
MG/as/APA