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Ethiopia Eyes Growing Chinese Coffee Market

ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopian officials and exporters held discussion with Chinese coffee traders on the possibilities of creating more market link between Ethiopian coffee Exporters and Chinese Importers.

The Ethiopian Embassy in Beijing hosted a virtual forum under the motto, “Coffee from the Land of Origins” on Friday. It was aimed at promoting Ethiopian coffee to the Chinese coffee importers, said the officials.

Director-General of Middle East, Asia, and Pacific Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gebeyehu Gangga, spoke on the long-standing ties between the two countries involving economic and business as well as Chinese investment in Ethiopia.

Gebeyehu also reiterated the importance of expanding the engagement between the two countries by creating more market link between Ethiopian coffee exporters and Chinese importers.

Last January, trade authorities collaborated with Chinese multinational technology company, Alibaba, to launch Ethiopian coffee brands on China’s Largest E-Commerce Platform, Tmall Global.

The move garnered a positive outcome and sold more than 11,200 bags of Ethiopian coffee in less than a minute.

Officials hope the online sell to further boost the growing coffee export to China which saw a 196% growth in volume between Jan and November 2021 alone.

Friday’s discussion would further furnish Ethiopian coffee exporters with opportunities to sell coffee online, said Teshome Toga, Ethiopia’s Ambassador in China.

Addressing the forum, a representative of the Coffee Traders Associations in China said the growing import and consumption of coffee in China is creating a big market for Ethiopian coffee growers and exporters.

The forum drew about 50 attendees, including representatives of the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority, the Ministry of Trade, and the Ethiopian Coffee Exporters Association which provided presentations on the potential of coffee production and quality in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia, which is known as the origin of Arabica coffee, is recognized worldwide for its rich coffee quality and flavor. Officials in the Coffee sector are taking quality measures to enhance its coffee quality and increase export earnings, which started to bring about a positive outcome.

In the first three quarters of the current fiscal year, Ethiopia secured 894 million US dollars revenue – the highest ever earning recorded in nine months.