STiR coffee and tea magazine

Volume 4, Number 5

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STiR tea & coffee industry international 35 KACHIN SAGAING CHIN MAGWAY RAKHINE SHAN (S) MANDALAY TANINTHARYI MON YANGON AYEYAWADDY KAYINA SHAN (N) BAGO Myanmar (Burma) India Bangla desh Bay of Bengal Andaman Sea China Laos Thailand Coffee growing region Delivering freshly harvested coffee cherries for washing Photo courtesy Myanmar Coffee Association Photo by Andrew Hetzel, Coffee Quality Institute unknown as a producer in the specialty coffee industry. There is a lot of education ahead that will be necessary to raise awareness of the country and coffee [among foreign buyers]," he said. Making global coffee traders aware of Myanmar's nascent industry also involves tutoring the farmers themselves. The in- dustry has only recently begun to train farmers in technical skills that ultimately will help them to increase their yields and further improve coffee quality. "Remember that most coffee farmers don't drink coffee, so it is important to show them how to differentiate between good and bad. This is not a challenge exclusive to Myanmar," noted Hetzel. Under one umbrella In an effort to streamline production techniques and thus bring the country closer to international coffee quality standards, the Myanmar Coffee Association (MCA) was established in 2014. Headquartered in Pyin Oo Lwin in the City of Mandalay re- gion, one of the main hubs for arabica cultivation in the country, the organization is privately funded. There are 115 members, among them 25 larger estates, as well as five coffee roasters and an equal number of trading firms. "Our mission is to eventually represent all coffee business stakeholders across the entire country. We are currently active in six of the largest growing regions, including Pyin Oo Lwin, Ywangan, Naung Cho, and Mogok," said association vice-chair- man Sai Wan Maing. "But we are planning to bring another two regions under our umbrella soon, namely Chin Hill and Than Taung, both of which are remote and isolated." MCA members cultivate approximately 1,235 acres (500 hectares) of arabica, practically all of which are shade-grown. Sai Wan's own estate, Green Land Coffee Plantation, covers a sizeable 395 acres (160 ha), making it the largest among the as- sociation members. During the 2014-2015 crop year around 170 metric tons (mt) of green coffee was harvested, a miniscule figure compared to other major global growing regions, but a good start. Collaboration for better yields Meanwhile, the privately operated Mandalay Coffee Group, a cooperative of mostly larger estates founded in 2014, is likewise located in Pyin Oo Lwin. The group claims a total cultivation of 2,500 acres (1000 ha) among its 25 members. The planta- Robusta is grown in Kayin state under a cooperative program with Nestlé. Varieties include: FRT83, FRT65, SC10 ,PROTPO15, FRT79, PP08, SKE10 and some local varieties Source: CRIETC Rank Variety Rank Variety Rank Variety 1 S-795 8 Blue Mtn. 15 H 420 2 Amarella 9 C 1669 16 H 528 3 Caturra (red/yellow) 10 LC 1662 17 SL 4 4 T 5175 11 P 86 18 SL 6 5 T 8667 12 P 88 19 SL 28 6 Catuai 13 P 90 20 SL 34 7 Catimor 14 H 306 21 San Ramon Arabica varieties grown in Myanmar (in descending order of popularity)

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