In recent years, buyers from Germany have been readily buying coffee produced in the district. But in the past one year, farmers said they found buyers and exported their produce to Japan and Korea as well.[break]
According to district agriculture development office (DADO), farmers in the district produced 23 tons of coffee this year. Of the total volume of coffee produced, twenty one tons was exported to Korea alone. That enabled the farmers to earn Rs 5 million from the export to Korea alone, according to the data of Sustainable Agriculture, Health, Environment Center (SAHEC), the partner organization for coffee production.
"South Korean buyers have liked the taste of coffee produced here. Hence they bought almost all coffee produced in the district," said Mandu Thapa, program coordinator of SAHEC.
Commercial coffee production had started in the three village development committee´s (VDC) of Sindhupalchowk district in 2000 with support from Agriculture Development Office (ADO) and Coffee Promotion Program of Helvetas.
Presently, commercial coffee farming has expanded to 30 VDCs of the district. Some 2,100 families are involved in coffee farming.
In a bid to promote coffee farming, DADO has been providing coffee saplings at 50 percent discount to the farmers. It has also been providing technical support to farmers to maintain quality of coffee.
Currently, eight co-operatives operating in the district support the farmers for commercial coffee production. The farmers do not even need to find a market for their produce.
District Coffee Co-operative Association--an umbrella organization of co-operatives working for the promotion and production of coffee --has been established this year and the association helps find the market for coffee.
“With the establishment of the association it has become easier for the farmers as it sells the coffee for farmers,” said Thapa. The coffee is sold to Everest, Highland, Buddha and Beautiful Coffee store.
The association also processes the coffee and has named it Sindhu Jugal Organic Coffee. Once the coffee gets certification, the association also plans to sell and distribute coffee.
With the increase in the number of farmers involved in coffee farming, their incomes have increased by four fold. There are around 23 coffee pulping machines in the district to remove the outer skin of the cherries.
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