The coffee craze in Africa in Kenya has soared by 46% in five years.

Coffee shop, coffee shop, ╱ in Africa.

Coffee consumption in Africa has greatly increased, such as Ken and Gandar have established their own coffee culture and become a new field of coffee, but they are also faced with new challenges of self-sufficiency.

■ While local and international coffee roasters are now looking at the growth potential, the question is whether the continent can grow enough coffee to satisfy its own consumers.

In Africa, coffee beans have been used as an economic crop for many years, but most of them are exported, and domestic demand is always very low. in Kenya and Taiwan, people often prefer to drink cheaper tea. However, demand for coffee in Africa grew by 20 per cent between 2009 and 2014, according to Euromonitor consumer research. David Barry, a commodity trader, said in response to the results that the growth of domestic coffee and the establishment of a coffee culture are beneficial to producing countries, and "farmers can know more about products." "

A strong domestic market can protect coffee producers from international shocks and demand fluctuations. In recent years, coffee has been affected by the output of Brazil, the world's largest producer. Arabica coffee beans, which are mainly produced in China, fell to US $2.29 per pound last year, but fell to US $1.16 in September this year.

There has been a 46% increase in consumer spending in five years.

Roberio Oliveira Silva, executive director of the International Coffee Organization (ICO), pointed out that in countries such as Calvary, Ivory Coast, Kenya and Gandar, coffee drinkers have increased in recent years due to the rise of middle-class coffee in cities. According to the Coffee Trade Organization of Kenya, the consumption of coffee in China surged by 46 per cent between 2010 and 2014.

There has also been a big increase in demand for coffee. Martin Maraka, the manager of the African Fine Coffee Organization, said, "now there is an increase in the number of people who can afford coffee, and as a result, sales have increased. "coupled with the fact that doctors dispel the myth that drinking coffee can have a negative impact on health," says Laura, "there were no coffee shops in Kampala, the capital, 10 years ago, but now there are 30 to 40, all of which serve high-end coffee. "

Even so, compared with Italy and Brazil, the consumption of coffee in African countries is still on the low side. According to ICO estimates, each person in Italy drinks an average of 5.8kg of coffee per year, while Brazilians drink 6.2kg per person per year, while the average per person in Africa is 2.5kg in Ethiopia, 1.28kg in Costa Rica and 0.8kg in Ivory Coast.

The power of coffee consumption in Africa has been matched by international coffee merchants, but the question is: can African coffee be self-sufficient?

Coffee beans grown in Africa are famous for their fruity and complex taste. From 1965 to 1988, eight African countries ranked among the top 20 coffee producers in the world, but now only four countries remain in the top 20. African coffee beans are one of the most refined varieties in the world, but the output of other coffee-producing countries has fallen sharply with the exception of Gandalda and Yisuobi.

Research data from ICO points out that the key lies in production efficiency. Ethiopia can produce 13 bags of 60-kilogram coffee beans per metric each year, compared with 12 bags of dry beans, compared with 50 to 60 bags in Brazil and nearly 40 bags in Vietnam.

The production capacity of the land is very high.

Another challenge for African producing countries is rapid urbanization and land appreciation. Due to the surge in domestic real estate demand and international coffee boom, many producers have lost their agricultural land. In Kiambu, a city north of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, the Socfinaf Coffee Company of Belgium has allocated 13,500 hectares of farmland to construction companies, of which nearly 2000 hectares have been used for housing construction, with a capacity of 80,000 people.

Even in the face of the above difficulties, experts remain concerned about the output of African coffee. He believes that as long as farmers' professional knowledge of planting and processing is enhanced, the output can be increased tenfold. Barry points out that it has never been feasible to increase the annual production of two bags per square meter. (industrial and Commercial Times)