By Xinhua,
Kathmandu : Coffee produced in Nepal will have a brand name within two months, the country’s National Tea and Coffee Development Board (NTCDB) announced, the Himalayan Times newspaper reported Thursday.
“The plantation and production of coffee is growing in Nepal. Also, its further growth is evident. Therefore, to cope with growing demand, it will have a brand name in the international market within two months,” the report quoted Madhav Deep Thapaliya, administrative officer of NTCDB, as saying.
“As new plans and policies regarding coffee production and plantation will soon be formulated by the government, we are hopeful that coffee production and its export to international markets will increase,” he added.
Thapaliya said: “As soon as a policy is made regarding coffee in Nepal all the workers and the industrialists will benefit. We have completed all the processes and soon we would get our logo for coffee registered at the industry ministry.”
“Nepali tea has its own brand in the international market since 2001 and now it’s time to get a national logo for the coffee produced in the domestic market so that it will have its own brand and won’t get mixed up with other coffee products in the international market,” he said.
Recent statistics of NTCDB show an increase in coffee export to the international market. During 2006-07 coffee worth 401.1 million Nepali rupees (about $5.2 million) was exported. In 1994-95 it was only 164.3 million rupees ($2.1 million).
During 1994-95, coffee plantation on 135.7 hectares produced only 12.95 metric tonnes of coffee.
However in the year 2006-07, the plantation area was increased to 1,396 hectares that yielded 460 metric tonnes of coffee.
Nepal exports coffee mainly to Japan, America and European countries.