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Article: Central Africa coffee round-up.
- Article from:
- Tea & Coffee Trade Journal
- Article date:
- January 20, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Lockwood Trade Journal Co., Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In comparison with Kenya's annual coffee production of over a million bags, the output of the Central and Southern African countries is relatively small. Production for 2003/04 is estimated at 115,000 bags for Zimbabwe, 105,000 for Zambia (which could increase to 150,000 in three years) and 65,000 for Malawi. These countries grow only Arabica, which is comparable in quality to that of Kenya. Virtually the entire production is exported, as domestic consumption is minimal.
Historically, coffee was first introduced into Central Africa in 1876, with tea following in 1888. Present-day Malawi was the first into the business, followed soon after by Zimbabwe and finally ...