Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said, the government will work closely with stakeholder to resolve the challenges that hampered coffee export to generate the highest foreign exchange earner for the country.
Premier Abiy today met with key industry actors and regulators of the coffee sector to address binding constraints in order to improve productivity, value addition and export earnings.
The discussions held under the theme of “Coffee Marketing Development, Opportunity, Major Obstacles and Solutions for Alternatives”.
Government officials in the sector, the producers of coffee, the suppliers and the exporters have participated on the discussion.
The representatives of the union directly and indirectly livelihood to 30 million people, but still “are plagued by problems.”
Illegal coffee trading, lack of value addition, coffee prices as well as lack of promotion of coffee are the major challenges in the sector, it was indicated.
Furthermore, it was indicated that coffee issues is not centralized to one institute, but it is also a matter of providing services by six offices and operators seen as other obstacle in the sector.
In recent years, the producers of coffee have faced the challenges of the peace situation in the country.
Prime Minister said the government will work closely with the stakeholders in the sector to enhance the benefit from the sector.
In relation to peace and security in the country the government is working to ensure this, he said and adding that investors should benefit public at the surroundings they invest.
Ethiopia managed to secure 838.2 million USD from the export of 238,465 tons of coffee, which is 44 percent less compared to the earnings from the same period of last year.
Ethiopia exports coffee to some 60 countries Germany, USA and Saudi Arabia are the main export destinations of Ethiopia’s coffee.