February 28th, 2013

Rising Demand for Coffee Good for Nepalese Growers

Drawn by record prices paid by exporters, more Nepalese farmers are looking to coffee for their livelihoods.

This makes coffee exporter Bhimsen Giri optimistic, as he says the farmers near Kathmandu are currently barely even meeting 10 per cent of the demand.

“Farmers are very excited about coffee farming,” said Giri. “But most of them lack information regarding the process and benefit of coffee farming.”

The surge in demand is mainly coming from traditional tea-drinking countries like India and Pakistan, but China is also expected to become a top-five coffee consuming nation.

According to Prem Acharya, planning officer at the national Tea and Coffee Development Board (NTCDB), 16 per cent more land is used for coffee every year, and production increases by 20 per cent.

Demand for coffee is also growing in Nepal, according to business development manager at Himalayan Beanz Madan Sapkota, who needs to get more cafe furniture for his growing chain.

“Demand for coffee is not just booming in the international market but in the domestic market as well,” he said.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/18/nepal-farmers-coffee-industry-booming