Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/581281
36 STiR tea & coffee industry international / Issue 5, 2015 (October/November) Blooming arabica plant Rows of young arabica saplings CQI's Marcelo Pereira, in red shirt, with Daw Phyu Pu, far left, and Daw Mya Hnin, far right, winners of Myanmar's first national cupping competition. Myanmar Coffee Production (metric tons) Calculations assume robusta production increased gradually from 15-20% since 2004 Year Total Production (mt) Arabica Robusta 2003-04 3,012 2,545.14 466.86 2004-05 3,615 3,036.60 578.40 2005-06 4,150 3,465.25 684.75 2006-07 4,923 4,086.09 836.91 2007-08 6,043 4,985.48 1,057.53 2008-09 6,388 5,238.16 1,149.84 2009-10 7,143 5,821.55 1,321.46 2010-11 7,368 5,968.08 1,399.92 2011-12 7,687 6,188.04 1,498.97 2012-13 7,441 5,952.80 1,488.20 tions, located at elevations between 3,600 and 4,200 feet (1,100 and 1,300 meters), yielded a combined 200 mt during the most recent harvesting season, valued at $650,000. "We are planning to integrate local roasters and trading companies into our organization in the near future", said the group's director of sales and market- ing, Min Hlaing, reflecting a similar move to MCA. This plan would of course help the group to both promote domestic sales as well as possible exports. Support from NGOs Also heavily supporting the development of Myanmar's coffee industry is Winrock International, a US-based NGO with many years of experience in providing agriculture technical assistance around the globe. In Myanmar, Winrock cur- rently implements "Value Chains for Rural Development", a much-acclaimed USAID-funded program that develops specific agricultural value chains, includ- ing arabica cultivation. "The Value Chains project builds on the success of the USAID-funded farmer-to-farmer program in Myanmar, which was also implemented by Winrock. Consequently, it provides inclusive, peo- ple-to-people, demand-driven support for smallholder farmers and agriculture producer groups", according to Stephen Walls, chief of party, from his main proj- ect office in Yangon (formerly Rangoon). The program's coffee value chain launched in late 2014 primarily supports small-scale farmers, particularly those most in need of assistance, such as wom- en and ethnic minorities. The project is implemented by experienced full-time staff and local volunteers with help from international consultants and specialists. The project partnered with CQI to provide ongoing technical training and as- sistance to growers. It also supports pro- cessors, traders, marketers and the bur- geoning domestic-based specialty coffee retail end of the value chain in Myanmar. "Our main goal is to… link smallholder farmers to competitive commercial value chains to increase agricultural productivity and facilitate sustainable, inclusive eco- nomic development led by the private sec- tor," said Walls. "The project also administers an inno- vative grants fund designed to spur private sector investment in targeted value chains, including coffee," he said.