Indonesia to Increase Arabica Coffee Production

By Barrie | October 3rd, 2007 | No Comments

The agriculture ministry would help farmers to increase the productivity of arabica coffee plants from 560 kg per hectare to become around 700-800 kg per hectare.

The quality of arabica plants would be improved in order to increase the productivity, the agriculture ministry`s Plantation Director General Achmad Mangga Barani said.

“Over the next two to three years, we will focus on the improvement of arabica coffee production,” he said.

Indonesia has so far developed robusta coffee plantations on 1.17 million hectares of areas with a total production of 596,000 tons annually. While, the country planted arabica coffee on 101,867 hectares of plantation areas with a total production of 61,251 tons annually.

The country`s arabica coffee plantations were found in Aceh, North Sumatra, South Sulawesi and Bali, he said. While, Robusta coffee plantations were mostly in Lampung Province (southern Sumatra) and on Java Island.

Data from the agriculture ministry showed that in 2004 Indonesia exported coffee beans amounting to 344,077 tons worth US$294.11 million. The figure increased to 445,829 tons worth US$503.83 million in 2005.

In 2006, the coffee exports dropped to 139,724 tons worth US$187.91 million. Meanwhile, its coffee imports in 2006 reached 2,037 tons worth US$3.66 million as reported in the Antara News.