June 4,
2012
Ethiopia's
coffee export fell by almost half, way short of the government's projection for
this year.
The
government had projected $1.1 billion dollar revenue from coffee beans, but
with only a month to go before the end of the fiscal year, the country has only
managed to earn about $505.6 million from coffee exports.
Coffee
exporters have complained that the budget was complicated and affected their
trade. They have also complained about the quality of the coffee.
"Coffee
was exported by mass without taking into consideration its quality and
geographical aspects. This affects our coffee exports in the budget year.
"This
is a serious problem that needs urgent action by the concerned bodies," a
coffee exporters' body said.
The
Ethiopian Ministry of Trade is expected to call for an emergency meeting with
the coffee exporters soon to thrash out issues affecting the sector.
"There
is a disconnect between coffee prices on the international market and what our
government officials think.
"Coffee
export procedures need to be given due attention and deliberation," a
coffee exporter told The Africa Report on condition of anonymity.
Ethiopia
revolutionised trade in coffee and other grains, through the Ethiopian
Commodity Exchange, a few years ago.
The
change saw the emergence of a number of disagreements between coffee exporters and
ECX on how to export coffee to the international market.
Ethiopia
exports Arabica beans, a popular coffee worldwide.