The Yemeni coffee output grew steadily during the 1990s, as a result of the implementation of developed local irrigation methods and technologies including the building of dams and water barriers. These facilities have enabled Yemen to expand the local coffee growing areas from four hectares in the 1980s to 29,000 hectares in the present time. According to a recent report in Al-Sharq Al-Awsat daily, in 1998 the total coffee output of Yemen did not exceed 4,500 tons, while in 1999 the it reached 12,200 tons, the largest amount in 10 years.
The Yemeni authorities established two coffee farming and manufacturing projects in the districts of Sana’a and Lahj, with investments of YR 75 million. The ministry of agriculture and fishing promoting fund plans to launch two additional similar projects shortly.
The rate of the Arab, American and international price offers for the Yemeni coffee have risen significantly, with per ton prices reaching $7,500 this year. This figure represents an 80 percent hike compared to previous years, when the proposed prices were less than $4,000 per ton.
In the Al-Sharq Al-Awsat article, the head of the Yemeni Agricultural Federation, Abdul-Rahman Al-Alafi, attributed this noticeable increase to the extensive Yemeni presence in international agricultural fairs. –(Albawaba-MEBG)
