By: Rufino Ruffy Magbanua
Kampala, Uganda — From its birthplace in the fertile hills of Africa, coffee has come a long way as one of the most traded commodities in the world after crude oil.
But why are coffee producers in the Global South has to continuously brew resilience despite being considered premium and most -sought-after coffee bean?
With better quality of elevation, soil, and climate for coffee growing, African coffee, considered the most effective iconic symbol of the countries in the Global South has been clamoring for a fair, equitable share in the global market.
Manssour Bin Mussallam, Secretary-General of the Organisation of Southern Cooperation has shared his view on the coffee story before African growers attending the 2nd G-25 Africa Coffee Summit held in Kampala, Uganda.
The Secretary-General has called for a collective action to end unfair global trading and market practices in the coffee sector to ensure that resources will benefit the vast majority of coffee producers from the Global South.
He further emphasized that if coffee-producing countries are to achieve the endogenous development and shared prosperity, the majority of value addition in the global coffee industry has to occur in the countries of origin.
Countries in the Global South has been exporting coffee for decades, most of which are raw coffee beans, unprocessed, and not ready-to-consume coffee.
As a result, African nations only earn a small percentage of the global coffee earnings because multinational processors and big retailers in Europe and America take the largest share of coffee profits.
Coffee is big business – it is estimated that over 2 billion cups of coffee are consumed every day around the world.
According to rough estimates, over 140 million bags of coffee beans are traded annually on a global scale. In the global coffee trade circles, The Global South is known for its specialty coffee beans.
In fact, it produces some of the world’s finest quality beans, demand for which has been growing exponentially in recent years.
Africa’s leading coffee producers like Ethiopia, Uganda, Cote D’Ivoire, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, – to name a few – are already recognized globally as the leading suppliers of high quality raw coffee beans.
And Ethiopia is a standout. A powerhouse in coffee production, Ethiopia is Africa’s largest where more than 15 million people rely on the coffee farming for their livelihood.
It has 5,000 different strains of Arabica, the world’s most famous specialty coffee whereas countries like Brazil and Colombia only have about 20 strains.
Ethiopia and Uganda dominate the East Africa’s coffee supply chain, accounting for 62 percent of sub-Saharan Africa’s coffee output.
While South American coffee is subjected to climate change, African coffee continuous to take advantage that allows them to conquer a niche in the market of specialty coffee made of high-quality and high-priced raw coffee.
Of the countries in the Global South, Ethiopia currently sits as the world’s sixth largest coffee producer. The industry employs approximately 15 million people and accounts for 28 percent of the country’s total annual exports.
Uganda ranks eighth on the list of global coffee production. The country grows very little arabica coffee compared to Ethiopia, with robusta comprising 82 percent of total production.
Robusta coffee is indigenous to Uganda, and two main varieties—Nganda and Erecta—are grown specifically for their suitability for the growing instant coffee industry.
Coffee is much more than an average beverage. It has shaped economies, societies and cultures punctuated by social interactions.
In fact, coffee has been an integral part of the culture and daily life of countless communities in the Global South.
Again, let the call to action by the OSC Secretary-General be the guiding light for a balanced, equitable third way of development from the South, for Humanity.
