YANGON, Jul 15 (NNN-MNA) – Myanmar annually produces over 9,000 tonnes of coffee, including over 7,000 tonnes of Arabica coffee and over 2,000 tonnes of Robusta coffee, U Myo Aye, chairman of the Myanmar Coffee Association, said yesterday.
Out of the over 9,000 tonnes of coffee, about 1,500-1,700 tonnes were exported to foreign countries, he said.
“We are always striving to expand our coffee market, and we connect with international coffee organisations and importers and organise exhibitions by inviting traders. In our country, we conduct coffee festivals and coffee forums,” U Myo Aye explained, about the activities of the Myanmar Coffee Association to expand the coffee market.
Myanmar has cultivated coffee since 1885. However, during that period, exporting Myanmar coffee to foreign nations was infrequent. “We adopted modern technologies from other countries. Initially, our production was limited to regular coffee, which we mainly sold to neighbouring countries. However, in 2015, we expanded our market reach and began exporting to foreign countries as well,” he said.
Eighty percent of the coffee plantations in Myanmar are Arabica coffee. Most of the coffee plantations in the country are in Shan State, he said.
Myanmar exported coffee beans to over 10 foreign countries, including Britain, the United States, Japan, China, Thailand, and Australia.
In addition, countries such as Japan, China, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates offer import tariff exemption benefits, for Myanmar’s coffee, according to Myanmar Trade Promotion Organisation, local media reported.– NNN-MNA
