Rs 40.11m worth coffee exported in 2006-07

Kathmandu, December 14:

Nepali coffee is soon going to have its own logo to represent the Himalayan organic flavour in the global market.

The National Tea and Coffee Development Board (NTCDB) — a government agency for development and promotion of tea and coffee farming and marketing — has already prepared a logo for the Nepali coffee.

The logo, which depicts beans and steaming coffee with mountain in background and ‘Himalayan Specialty’ written on top and ‘Nepal Coffee’ on bottom, will come into practice following the approval of a board meeting of NTCDB scheduled for next week.

“The national logo will help the product for branding and creating its niche market,” says Binaya Kumar Mishra, executive director at the NTCDB, adding that the demand of Nepali organic coffee in the international market has gone up significantly in the last couple of years.

According to him, the board is also planning to issue directives for the implementation of the National Coffee Policy-2060. It will spell out a numerous issues related to coffee farming, plucking of coffee beans, processing, production, quality control and packaging.

“All these should be at par with the international standards and guidelines issued by the International Coffee Organisation (ICO),” adds Mishra, while talking to this daily.

The directive also has highlighted a need for creating database of coffee related institution, cooperatives, setting up mechanism for product development, market promotion and branding and providing training farmers, supporting on human resource development activities and consultation.

It also envisions Coffee Development Fund to provide technical and financial help to the concerned stakeholders.

The fund will be jointly administered by the government and private sector. Although Nepal has seven decade long history of coffee plantation, the commercial farming began only 25 years ago. Today coffee is commercial grown in 23 districts that covers 1400 hectares of land.

“The mountain slopes of Nepal’s mid-hill region with an altitude ranging from 800m to 1600m is climatically suited for coffee plantation,” says Mishra. Arabic species of coffee is grown in Nepal, mostly in western hilly districts of Gulmi, Arghakhanchi and Palpa.

With growing popularity of the Nepali organic coffee in domestic as well as international markets, the production is also steadily growing. According to NTCDB figures, the production of dry cherry jumped to 115 metric tonnes (MT) in 2005 from 85 MT in 2003. It is expected to cross 272 MT this year.

“The demand for Nepali coffee is ever growing, as 65 per cent of the total production of coffee is already being exported to the international markets like Japan, EU, Korea and the US,” says Mishra.

Considering the future potential, the board has already launched a pilot programme to promote commercial coffee farming in hilly districts of western Nepal.

The coffee exports, in volume, began from 2002 and Nepal exported coffee worth Rs 40.11 million during the last fiscal year 2006-07.