CCT’s coffee exports decline 40%

DILI, 01 may 2022 (TATOLI) – Copertiva Cafe Timor (CCT)’s coffee exports have declined 40% to 1.600 tons this year compared to 3.500 tons last year.

“Last year we exported more than 3.500 tons of Timor-Leste’s organic coffee to the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. Unfortunately, this year we only expect to export up to 1.600 tons. So, CCT’s coffee export is expected to decline 40% between 2021 and 2022,” CCT’s General Manager Sisto Moniz Piedade told reporters after meeting President of the Republic, Jose Ramos Horta, in Dili, on monday.

Every year, roughly 50% of farmers’ coffee is sold to CCT, meanwhile, the other 50% is purchased by other coffee companies, including Timor-Corp, Timor Global, etc.

“This year, the cost of the red bean coffee is 0.48 cents per kg. It’s based on international price,” said Piedade.

CCT exports Timor-Leste’s coffee to John Burton Limited in New Zealand, Bennetts in Australia and Starbucks Coffee Company, and Royal Coffee in the US, every year.

During the meeting, President Horta encouraged CCT to open its coffee shops in ASEAN countries like Singapore to promote Timor-Leste’s organic coffee.

Piedade informed that the production of the coffee has declined in the recent years due to a number of factors, including climate change, old coffee trees, reduction in coffee farmland, and a lack of interest of farmers in taking care of their coffee plantation.

“Many coffee farmers have no interest in taking care of their coffee plantation: “They rarely look after their coffee plantation. Thus, I would like to call on the coffee farmers to take care of their coffee plantation to increase the coffee production.”

In addition, he said many hectares of the fertile land for growing coffee had been decreased over the years due to the use of the land for building houses: “Climate Change also affected the production of the coffee. For instance, the long dry season and hot weather may affect the production of the coffee as well.”

At the meeting, CCT pledged to support Timor-Leste’s coffee farmers to increase coffee production through Coffee Farm Renovation and Rehabilitation Program.

He stressed that the combined effort between the Government of Timor-Leste and CCT was crucial for improving and increasing coffee production in the future.

“It’s important for the Government of Timor-Leste, especially the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAP) to work together with a private sector like CCT to see what we can do to improve and increase the production of Coffee over the next five or ten years,” Piedade said.

To increase the production of coffee in the country, the Government of Timor-Leste in its approved rectification budget had allocated US$6.4 million for the rejuvenation and rehabilitation of coffee plantations across six municipalities – Ermera, Aileu, Ainaro, Liquica, Manufahi, and Manatuto.

Journalist: Filomeno Martins

Editor: Nelia Borges