DILI, 29 november 2021 (TATOLI) – The President of the Association of Cafe Timor (ACT) Evangelino Monteiro Soares said ACT held a Coffee Festival to invite the international partners to introduce the quality of Timor Leste’s coffee to promote the local coffee to the international.
“We are holding a Coffee Festival to invite the international partners and academics to help us promote coffee Timor ‘ s quality internationally and help us to research to increase the courage of coffee farmers to plant more coffee and increase the economic growth in Timor – Leste for better future,” Soares told reporters in Portugal Embassy Colmera, Dili on Monday.
He added that Timor-Leste’s coffee yet competed with the quantity if compare with Brazil and Vietnam, but from a quality perspective, Timor-Leste’s coffee has also competed with the other countries in the world because almost all countries in the world have been drinking the coffee from Timor-Leste: “With Timor – Leste Coffee Festival, the world will know more that Timor – Leste also has the best quality of coffee in the world,”
Former President of Timor – Leste and Nobel Peace Prize, Jose Ramos highly appreciates ACT for the Timor – Leste’s Coffee festival initiative which had invited the international partners through the representatives of the Embassies in Timor – Leste.
“I am very proud and wishes to promote Timor – Leste ‘s coffee to abroad through my colleagues, many countries like China wish to buy Timor – Leste ‘s coffee, and I have also promoted the quality of Timor Leste ‘s coffee – in the international world,” said Horta
Horta added that Timor-Leste coffee is a high-quality coffee however the quantity remains less since the coffee product is still far from expected.
“I recommended to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to pay attention to use the empty land to plant more the new coffee trees, we have to export coffee to abroad routinely to satisfy our customers and not export seasonally because it will make the international customers distrust us and seek the other coffee from the other countries,” Horta said.
Australian Ambassador to Timor – Peter Robert said the quality of Timor Leste’s Coffee is very good in the world and it is as an identity of Timor – Leste.
“Several companies in Australia have bought coffee from Timor – Leste and resold it in Australia with very high prices. Almost all Australian people drink Timor – Leste’s coffee and informed me that Timor Leste’s coffee has high quality compared with the other coffee in the world,” said Robert.
Ambassador Robert promises will continue to promote the quality of Timor – Leste’s coffee in Australia and also internationally to buy coffee from Timor – Leste and revive the economy of coffee farmers in Timor – Leste.
At the same place, the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Pedro do Reis on behalf of the Government thanked ACT and its partners for recommending the Government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to cultivate Timor – Leste’s coffee to be able to compete in the international market.
Reis thanked the Portugal Government which had donated one of the laboratory machines to detect the quality of Timor – Leste’s coffee, saying MAF will provide seeds of coffee to farmers in Ermera Municipality and the other municipalities across the Timor – Leste.
Journalist: Camilo de Sousa
Editor: Nelia B
