\u201cWe hope to expand our market in Germany by\u00a0producing high-quality coffee\u00a0beans for export,\u201d said Vice\u00a0President of the Lao Coffee\u00a0Association, Mr Sengchanh Khammountha.\u00a0\u201cWe have exported coffee\u00a0beans to some European countries, including Germany, for years but due to the support of two projects by GIZ, including related and complete projects, we will be able to export more in future,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The projects support local coffee growers by providing technology used\u00a0after harvesting coffee berries\u00a0to produce high-quality coffee beans, organised coffee exhibition which can increase sale in local markets and will help the growers access new markets in Germany.\u00a0\u201cThere is high completion\u00a0in the world coffee market,\u00a0and we can increase our competitiveness through the quality and taste of coffee beans. This will increase sales and increase the income\u00a0of coffee growers in Laos,\u201d\u00a0he said.\u00a0The support and cooperation from GIZ for\u00a0Lao coffee growers started\u00a0in 2014 and is set to end next year.\u00a0However, the Lao Coffee\u00a0Association hopes GIZ will extend this support for a few more years, especially technical support.<\/p>\n
Currently, the local price of coffee berries is about\u00a02,800 kip per kg and 24,000\u00a0kip per kg for green beans.\u00a0The total area in Laos used\u00a0to produce coffee is 95,400 hectares as of 2018, with\u00a0total production recorded at 154,135 tonnes, compared to\u00a077,540 tonnes in 2015. Most of this area is in the Boloven Plateau.\u00a0The coffee varieties grown in Laos are Arabica and Robusta.\u00a0Lao coffee exports have gone up from 28,320 tonnes\u00a0in 2017 to 31,495 tonnes in\u00a02018.\u00a0Last year, 56 percent of\u00a0Lao green coffee bean exports\u00a0to international markets went to Vietnam, 13 percent to Japan, 12 percent to Thailand,\u00a03 percent to Cambodia, 2 percent to Germany, 1.5 percent to China, 0.9 percent to the US and 11 percent to other countries.<\/p>\n
In the domestic market, Lao coffee products such as three-in-one and coffee beans are sold by coffee shops such as Amazon, Dao Heuang, Sinouk and Joma. These shops are located in Vientiane, Pakxe city, Luang Prabang city and Kaysone Phomvihane city.<\/p>\n