Mozambique: Niassa Cotton Company JFS hands over two classrooms to the Khomane community - Photos
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Mozambique’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Celso Correia, said on Friday that the country has conditions to be “a player” in the international coffee market, arguing that there is a need for more research and investment in this agricultural crop.
Celso Correia was speaking at the opening of the first edition of the Coffee Festival, which is taking place in Maputo.
“Mozambican coffee is organic, responding to the demand of the international market, where consumers are increasingly interested in organic products, and providing an opportunity for the country to enter as a player” in the international market, he said.
Mozambique is well positioned in the international classification, since the coffee produced in the country is qualified in the “class of speciality coffees”, continued Celso Correia.
This level, he continued, could place the Mozambican product in the “rare coffee class”.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development pointed to the importance of coffee growing in conserving biodiversity as another advantage Mozambique has in the global market, since this approach has received a great deal of attention from international organisations with influence in the coffee market.
In the social field, production in Mozambique is beginning to gain importance, because it is currently a source of income for around five thousand small farmers and involves 15 companies, he said.
“With [Mozambique’s] accession to the International Coffee Organisation, signed in June 2023 in London, an opportunity has opened up to attract investment and technical assistance for the development of a national coffee industry, which aims to position itself competitively on the global market,” stressed the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The executive director of the International Coffee Organisation, Vanúsia Nogueira, also considered that Mozambique has the potential to become a major producer and exporter of coffee, because it has high quality species, and there is a comprehensive commitment among relevant entities to invest in this crop.
“There are regions here in Mozambique with great potential for coffee production,” said Vanúsia, a Brazilian who comes from a family with a long tradition in coffee production in the Latin American country.
Mozambique should test the economic viability of species that have already been identified, with a view to preparing to take advantage of the growing world market for coffee consumption, she added.
Quoting studies, the executive director of the International Coffee Organisation said that at least 2.5 billion cups of coffee are consumed every day in the world and 25 million families are involved in the production of this crop.
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