STiR coffee and tea magazine

STiR coffee and tea 17 Neumann Gruppe GmbH Coffee Plaza Am Sandtorpark 4 20457 Hamburg is the world's leading green coffee service group. With 49 companies in 27 countries we are active in the sectors Farming, Export, Import, Specialties and Services. NKG has more than 2,000 highly skilled employees o• ering a range of products and services along the entire green co• ee value chain. What can we do for you? Visit us at www.nkg.co ee Neumann Gruppe GmbH Coffee Plaza Am Sandtorpark 4 20457 Hamburg is the world's leading green coffee service group. With 49 companies in 27 countries we are active in the sectors Specialties NKG has more than 2,000 highly skilled employees o• ering a range of products and services along the entire green co• ee value chain. What can we do for you? Visit us at NEWS STiR: Can the governments in the coffee producing countries do anything to bail the industry? Bhandari: Which end will they come in at? They can increase subsidies but then what - it increases production and we are again left with the problem of surplus. If we want to support the growers, there are some things that will help: 1. Restructure his loans for a longer period 2. Lower the rate of interest on his loans 3. Encourage him to engage in alternate business, maybe poultry or growing inter crops STiR: What about the big players and their role in supporting the industry? Bhandari: The private sector is brand driven. They are doing a lot towards brand awareness to increase sales. Probably the only strategy is to increase consumption, especially in the non-tradi- tional coffee drinking regions, like Asia. STiR: Has the crisis been a unifying factor towards bringing the various stakeholders of the industry together? Bhandari: Yes, everyone has arrived at single point of view. Something must be done as soon as possible about the coffee price crisis by roasters, producers and traders. But to date they have not arrived at any single workable or acceptable strategy. STiR: What does it mean to have Asia host the World Coffee Congress for the first time, to have an Indian as president of the PCSB for the first time? Bhandari: It points to a focus on Asia. Asia is like the Wild West, plenty of opportunity that can be tapped. Europe is saturated and the world needs new markets for coffee. Consumption in China is on the rise, especially in the coastal areas. India too is seeing an increase in consumption. In the end, there has to be a promotional campaign across these countries to make a dent. STiR: The theme for the World Coffee Congress that you are chairing is 'Sustainability through Consumption'. Does that sum up twin needs of the coffee industry? Bhandari: Everyone's talking about sustainabil- ity. But the only thing that will drive sustainability is consumption. All the other facets, whether it's going organic, deforestation, policies, the social aspects that are talked about towards sustainabil- ity… they mean nothing to the farmer if he can't put food on the table. They mean nothing in the absence of a living price for his coffee. And that will only come if demand is greater than supply.

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