Coffee Exporters to Expand Market to China

The South Sulawesi branch of the Indonesian Coffee Exporters Association (AEKI) is targeting China as a future export destination. AEKI deputy chief Franky Djamal said that if the market could be expanded to the most-populated country, it would be advantageous for Indonesia.

Franky said that for the past two years exporters had begun approaching China so that the province’s coffee could be accepted there, although the result has not been optimal. The volume of coffee exports there is still lacking, he added.

South Sulawesi’s coffee is mostly been exported to Japan, the US and Europe.

He added that the problem lay in the reduction of coffee production since the beginning of the year. “Production declined by 60 – 70 percent this year,” he said.

The Indonesian Specialty Coffee executive director Ina A. Murwani said the chance for South Sulawesi’s coffee was still big because the world’s coffee consumption increases every year. “Coffee has significant potential in the local, international and even ASEAN markets,” said Ina, adding the biggest coffee consumption was in ASEAN countries, especially Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.

However, Ina said that to maximize the industry South Sulawesi must improve its coffee quality and productivity. Improved technological processes, she said, would boost the province’s coffee industry.

From: TEMPO Interactive