This is the First FAO Asian Regional Round-table on Sustainable Organic and Specialty Coffee Production, Processing and Marketing for the industry in the Asia and Pacific Region.
Coffee, in dollar terms is the most traded agricultural product in the world. Coffee throughout the world including the Asia/Pacific region supports millions of small farmers and their families. With world coffee prices are at their lowest levels for many years the very existence of many small farmers is at stake. Such prices represent a real threat to the industry. There is an opportunity to improve farm incomes through sustainable production of high value, high quality Specialty coffee and Organic coffee. Thus, this Round-table has been organised, at this critical time, to derive ways to urgently assist small farmers and the coffee industry in the region with timely practical interventions.
Coffee can be produced in many different ways ranging from very low input ‘shade’ or ‘forest’ coffee to high input sun-grown coffee. Some ways can be sustained for very long periods of time, while some cannot. The reasons are complex, but involve all aspects of the farming, processing and marketing system. In various countries of Asia/Pacific, high input coffee production is causing soil degradation, water table pollution, water table lowering and environmental contamination. Such high input systems are failing because input costs in some cases are up to 50% more than current returns. Such production practices are not sustainable and must be changed.
In fact there are many ways and practices, which will make a difference to the quality of life of small coffee producers, while ensuring that their farming systems and incomes are both improved and sustained. We need to make countries of our region aware of these interventions involving sustainable, high value, Specialty and Organic coffee which is in strong demand in the world market, as well as derive ways to "Make it Happen" for the farmers and the commercial coffee industry.
This gathering was specifically designed to explore and derive the approaches and interventions needed to extend these practices to small farmers and the coffee industry in the Asia/Pacific region. This publication documents the various studies and experiences of Indonesia, Lao-PDR, Vietnam, Myanmar, East Timor and Thailand involving Sustainable, Specialty and Organic coffee production. The Round-table provided the opportunity for coffee specialists, producers, scientists, roasters and retailers and wholesalers to meet and discuss the issues and propose the interventions needed.
The involvement of the Royal Project Foundation, Chiang Mai, Thailand, with assistance from, the Thailand Department of Agriculture, Chiang Mai, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, and Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand, in jointly organising the Round-table Meeting with the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific is gratefully acknowledged.
Sincere appreciation is extended to Mr Peter Griffee, Head of the Industrial Crops Group in the Plant Production and Protection Division FAO Rome for his help, and support, and to FAO/RAP staff in Bangkok for administrative support and Loraine Chapman for final editing/formatting.
It is hoped that this publication will be of benefit to the coffee producers and coffee industry of the Asia and Pacific Region and will be the basis for many follow-up coffee projects.
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Keith Chapman |
Suranant Subhaddrabandhu |
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FAO/RAP Bangkok, Thailand |
Royal Project Foundation, Thailand |
