The first International Conference on Ethiopian Coffee organized by the Ministry of Trade, the Ethiopian Coffee Exporters Association in partnership with USAID and the commercial bank of Ethiopia was opened in Addis Ababa.
The conference is being held under the theme of ‘Strengthening the Legacy of Our Coffee’ and aims promote Ethiopian Coffee on the international market. It is expected to facilitate the exchange of experience among stakeholders and enhance the transfer of information so as to allow the coffee sector to take advantage of key opportunities and resolve challenges.
More than 15 million Ethiopians are directly and indirectly with the coffee sector according to Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn speaking at the opening. Ethiopia enjoys a comparative advantage in trading coffee which has allowed the nation to trade more volume and to increase its increase share of the global market and to enhance the export income he said.
The coffee production and export of the nation grew over the last nine years to reach 200 thousand tons and generating an estimated 843 million US dollars in revenue in the last financial year explained Hailemariam. Trading through the EthiopianCommodity Exchange has also contributed significantly to the increase in revenue he added.
The conference is expected to be attended by government officials in relevant sectors, representatives from the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange, Members of the ECEA and the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange Authority, local financial institutions, principal stakeholders in the national coffee trade and international coffee buyers.
Source: Ethiopian Press Agency
