STiR coffee and tea magazine

STiR coffee and tea 45 British colonial rule, greatly declined in the past two decades due to coffee wilt disease and other diseases and pests. But the gov- ernment and local groups hope to rebuild the industry, which could benefit growers. Mzuzu, which represents about 4,000 smallholder farms, helps its members increase their share of the income from sales of coffee they grew. It also helps them improve and increase produc- tion. It opened a hospital in a coffee-growing area, but had to shut it down due to falling sales. To increase value-added, the union started constructing an automated coffee processing factory to process and sell finished coffee product. "Although the project is not complete, we hope once we get our certification, we will gain higher-paying buyers, hence complete the factory that we hope will encourage coffee farm- ers to produce more, hence increase our overall coffee output," Ng'ambi said. "The decertification has really impacted adversely on our op- erations and currently we are selling non-certified coffee to buyers who pay less, hence affecting our revenues." MCPCU serves as an umbrella organization of six primary coffee cooperatives of Misuku, Phoka, Viphya North, Nkhata- bay Highlands, Southeast Mzimba, all in northern Malawi and Ntchisi East Cooperative in central Malawi. The primary coffee cooperatives had been producing an estimated combined 350 metric tons to 450 metric tons of coffee annually, harvested mainly between April and September of every year. All the cof- fee grown in Malawi is arabica. "In 2021 the coffee sales by Mzuzu declined to 129 tons but in 2022 we anticipate sales of up to 150 tons. So the volume will be increasing little by little as we move towards the much- anticipated certification," Ng'ambi said. Apart from the smallholders, Malawi's coffee production also includes output from large-scale estate farmers in Southern Malawi in the regions of Thyolo, Mulanje, Zomba and Mango- chi. But many of these farms have shifted to growing macada- mia nuts to earn higher income. MCPCU has worked with members to upgrade farming practices and ensure inclusion of women, who comprise 25% of the group. MCPCU coffee gained Fair Trade certification in 2009, but was decertified in 2018 following a global price collapse that eroded the group's finances. Courtesy MCPCU

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