Upcoming African Fine Coffees Conference would link farmers, exporters with int’l traders

Addis Ababa, February 3, 2024 (FBC) – The African Fine Coffees Conference and Exhibition, the largest coffee platform in Africa, would create great opportunity to link Ethiopian farmers and exporters with international traders, AFCA Ethiopia representative said.

The 20th African Fine Coffees Conference and Exhibition and the First African Coffee Week will take place in Addis Ababa from February 6th to 10th, 2024.

African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA) Ethiopian Chapter representative Feven Genene said that the conference and exhibition is the largest platform in Africa as a lot of coffee buyers, producers, and farmers from different countries are going to attend the event.

Along with the conference are organized coffee field trips for international buyers and other producer countries to go and visit coffee areas, she added.

Hosting this event gives a great opportunity to link farmers and exporters with international traders, the representative said, adding that it is a big opportunity for farmers and traders to get access to market.

It also gives the opportunity to show that Ethiopian farmers and exporters are really working hard to improve quality of coffee and also succeeding in that respect to traders, that we are really working hard and improving quality of coffee, Feven pointed out.

Highlighting that Ethiopia produces a very unique and special coffee, she said there are works I believe still need to be done in improving quality; so such exposure will give a great opportunity to get better in the sector.

Ethiopian Coffee Association President Dessalegn Jena said the conference is very important as coffee is an international commodity, ENA reported.

There are also different international coffee producer, buyer, and roaster organizations across the globe that meet and discuss about coffee business, he elaborated.

Likewise, AFCA is a crucial organization to pinpoint or identify different Ethiopian coffee qualities from different corners of the country and from those coffee growing countries, the president said.

Buyers from different part of the world will come to the conference and visit coffee farms. So, it is really a crucial event.

For the president, the conference also creates opportunity to further promote Ethiopian coffee and to expand the market or the destination.

Coffee is an important sector for Ethiopia’s economy as the country is home of Coffee Arabica and contains nearly a fifth of all coffee farms around the world.

The annual conference is expected to bring together around 2,000 regional and international coffee roasters, traders, producers, buyers, and professionals under one roof to discuss to policies, sustainability, and access to finance, coffee competitions and other actions, it was learned.