Kofi, a supplier of coffee beans and machines, has signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SNV, an agricultural food organization, to promote and develop coffee crops and train farmers on cultivating to international standards, with the aim of promoting local coffee for exports.

The collaboration is called “Sustainable Development of Mondulkiri Coffee Price Chain” and is supported by the Dutch fund for Climate Development (DFCD). The agreement was signed on February 21.

Hei Dara, CEO of Kofi, said at the signing ceremony that although they roast their own coffee in Cambodia, most of the raw coffee beans are imported from Vietnam, Laos, Indo-Brazil, Columbia, Ethiopia and some other countries due to the low quality of local coffee.

Chhean Khim, Director of Business Development of Kofi, raised concerns that the quality of locally-produced coffee due to traditional coffee farming practices, harvesting and storage. This led to decreased price, over-laboring and a lack of specific coffee markets.

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Therefore, modernization in coffee is now needed for better improvement of Cambodian coffee quality, Khim said.

“The domestic consumption of raw coffee beans is still small. This is because the quality of our coffee beans is not good and the quantity is not enough to produce the coffee that the company needs, as well as to satisfy customers,” Khim said.

She added that low prices and no clear market for Mondulkiri coffee have led most farmers to abandon their coffee crops and switch to other crops instead.

A statement from Kofi said that the signing of the MoU was the opening of a new page for Kofi and coffee farmers in Mondulkiri province, saying that the company is committed to developing coffee crops in Mondulkiri in order to improve the quality and expand the cultivation of coffee crops in line with market demand, and increase productivity that allows farmers to have better livelihood from coffee.

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Dith Tina, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, who attended the signing ceremony, expressed support for Kofi and SNV for the initiative to cultivate coffee in accordance with environmental standards and contribute to climate change mitigation.

“I hope that this cooperation, as well as Cambodian coffee products grown in Mondulkiri province, will go beyond the local market and into the international market in the future,” Tina said in a post on his Facebook page.

According to a statement, under this project, Kofi will set up a coffee bean collection and storage facility, a coffee bean processing plant, a coffee nursery and research center. The company will also establish a model farm to train farmers and a public education facility.

“[For] tourists who love and like to drink coffee too,” the statement said.

Kofi and SNV will work with foreign coffee experts, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and stakeholders in Mondulkiri to implement the planned activities, it added.

(meas.molika@kiripost.com)