Nepal thrives for commercial coffee production to meet demands

Kathmandu, July 12 (IANS) At least 6,346 farmers and entrepreneurs have been carrying out commercial coffee farming in 32 out of 77 districts in Nepal, according to a new survey.

The "Commercial Coffee Farming Survey Report" published by Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) of Nepal this month, was conducted for the first time in the Himalayan country, reports Xinhua news agency. 

It stated that the coffee farmers and entrepreneurs produce 1,573 metric tonnes of fresh coffee beans annually in 973 hectares of land.

"The coffee survey conducted in the fiscal year 2075-2076 and its output helps to analyze the current situation and to formulate necessary policies and programmes for the development of commercial coffee industry," Information Officer at CBS Tirtha Raj Chaulagain told Xinhua on Friday.

Those who have planted at least 50 coffee plants have only been regarded as the commercial coffee farmer in the survey, the officer said. Nepal mostly produces Arabica coffee at an elevation of 800 to 1,600 metres.

According to the data, 96 per cent of the total farmers are producing coffee in an organic method, while in total 9 per cent are doing farming through firm, 34 per cent through cooperatives and companies and 57 per cent without any authentication.

The survey comes at a time when the global demand of Nepali coffee has been increasing in the recent years. 

Though produced coffee is consumed highly in domestic market, the South Asian country exports coffee mostly to Japan, Korea, the US and some other European nations.

According to Nepal's National Tea and Coffee Development Board, coffee cultivation is suitable in more than one million hectares of land in Nepal, however it has not been tapped well.