About 80 tonnes of Myanmar’s coffee is planned to be exported to the US and China (Taipei) this year, according to the Myanmar Coffee Association.
In 2016, about 40 tonnes of Arabica produced from Ywangan were exported to these markets. The export volume is is being boosted this year, said U Win Aung Kyaw, the vice chairman of Myanmar Coffee Association.
To meet the expected target, coffee growers have been asked to cooperate with the Myanmar Coffee Association in order to produce high-quality, exportable coffee.
“We are encouraging them to systematically cultivate and harvest in the proper production process,” U Aung Kyaw said.
Members of the Specialty Coffee Association of America previously visited coffee plantations in Shan State to evaluate the coffee quality and conduct training in coffee growing in order to penetrate the international market. With the recommendations from this association, Ywangan’s coffee was introduced to the American market in 2016.
The American market offers a higher price for coffee, depending on the quality of the coffee from other foreign markets. Only coffee of fair quality is exported to China (Taipei), U Aung Kyaw said.
High-quality coffee exported to America fetched about US$7,000 per tonne, whereas the export price of coffee to China (Taipei) is about US$3,800 per tonne.
About 7,000 tonnes of coffee are produced in Myanmar per year, but only about 50 per cent of coffee production goes to foreign countries, according to the Myanmar Coffee Association.
Source: Global New Light of Myanmar
