Yemen coffee, pearls upon trees [Archives:2005/901/Business & Economy]
BY MAHYOUB AL-KAMALI
Yemeni production of coffee has noticeably receded in the recent four years and rate of recession has increased with the appearance of an insect destroying 30-50% of production quantity. This has forced the ministry of agriculture to adopt a plan for planting around one million coffee trees by the end of this year in various areas of Yemen suitable for growing this type of trees, both climatically and environmentally. The goal is to expand and develop plantation of this kind of crop and an attempt to restore reputation of Yemeni coffee which it has gained across long decades.
For the Yemenis, the coffee tree possesses a historical and moral value. Owing to coffee produce, and because of it Yemen had gained a world presence since the beginning of the 6th century A.D. as it was the major source of coffee that was being exported via the seaport of Al-Makha and the Arabian coffee was called after the name of that port and carried it all over the world. The world knows the Yemeni coffee as the Arabian coffee which represents the best quality of coffee types. Under that name there are three kinds of coffee in Yemen: al-Udaini, al-Dawaieri and al-Tuffahi, the latter of which is the most spread in Yemen. There are many more names by which the coffee of Yemen is known and most of those names are given after the areas where is grown. Such names are: al-Hammadi, al-Matari, al-Haimi, al-Yaafie, al-Buraaie, al-Haraazi, al-Saadi, al-Rajmy and al-Saarabi.
Yemen coffee…treasure of pearls upon trees
The coffee of Yemen until past recent was dominating many tastes and external markets even before the Yemeni singer, Ali al-A'nisi, sung for it his well-known song “The Yemeni coffee, the pearls and treasure upon trees”. Unfortunately this song is no longer fitting the present condition of coffee production of Yemen, unlike what that production used to be during the first three centuries of modern history. Side by side with coffee giving reputation to Yemen at that time were the Yemeni spices that had been then direct reason why international companies and fleets protecting them competed for reaching the warm waters in the orient in quest for its inexhaustible riches. Exportation of Yemeni coffee was also an important reason that gave importance to the port city of al-Makha until the mid of the nineteenth century. In their efforts to find other alternatives for Yemen in growing coffee and to put an end to competition among themselves on one source, the foreign companies managed to grow coffee trees in commercial quantities in areas Indonesian islands and Brazil. That had gradually resulted in big recession in coffee production in Yemen and very quickly rendered coffee produce to become marginal among other crops such as Qat whose cultivation has spread in a large scale.
Retreat in production
Recent official statements indicate low rate in Yemen's production of coffee. Production has retreated from 11.904 tons in 2001 to 11.408 tons in 2003 and in 2004 to 11.590 tons. Statements mentioned that coffee produce in the last four years has occupied the last position on list of money-yielding crops at a time Qat occupied the first place with regard to produced quantities and their annual increase. Qat production in 2003 rose from 103.410 tons to 118.207 tons in 2004. Thus, Qat has indisputably topped the list of money-yielding crops in Yemen.
Recent studies ascribed causes of Yemeni coffee production retreat to the aggravating water crisis, waves of drought that hit areas where it is grown and the use of traditional ways of irrigation and rise in cost of production due to the steady increase of the cost of hired labor, in addition to limitedness of family labor resulting from expansion of internal migration from countryside to cities. Studies also point out the strong shakings produced by spread of crops competing Yemeni coffee in local markets as Qat and tobacco, drop in farmers interest in this kind of crops because of its low economic return and rise in cost of its production compared to imported coffee which much affected prices of domestic coffee. Meanwhile the Yemeni coffee suffers the problem of absence of suitable marketing policies, lack of modern irrigation networks and limitedness of infrastructure in areas of its growing, such as electricity, water pipes and others. Added to that are insects that affect fruit of the coffee tree.
Coffee growing areas
Coffee is planted in various regions in Yemen. It is grown mainly in areas that are 1000 to 1700 km high above sea level in valley sloping from western, central and southern heights. Coffee is also grown in mountain terraces, especially in the range of western mountains overlooking Tihama. Here density of areas planted with coffee trees is between 900 1000 trees in one hectare and production of one hectare between 300 t 600 kg. These areas represent around 40% of the area planted with coffee trees. Warm and humid climate, with availability of ample quantity of water, is considered ideal for coffee growth. Most of the areas where the coffee tree is grown lack the suitable conditions for its growth, but the Yemeni farmer has throughout years managed to acquire great experience in cultivating the coffee tree in circumstances guaranteeing requirements of production. Studies prepared by experts in this field from certain Arab and international organizations mention that Yemen is the only country in the world where the coffee tree is planted under circumstances dissimilar to climatic circumstances of growing the coffee tree in other regions of the world. In the environment where coffee tree is grown in Yemen there is scarcity of water and added to that the soil is not capable enough of storing enough amount of water. Despite of that the farmer in this country is able to obtain the best kinds of coffee in the world, known by the Arabian coffee.
Marketing
Al-Kaboos group, established by Haj Hassan al-Kaboos in 1938, has been playing an important role in re-breathing life into marketing the Yemeni coffee. His group was then the first to grind coffee by using manual grinders. Drinking coffee at that time was not salable in Sana'a whose inhabitants were accustomed to drink coffee made of coffee shells and drinking coffee was rather confined to the Turks. Tribesmen were then mingling coffee with its shell. Today the name of al-Kaboos is linked to the industry of the best quality of coffee in the world. Al-Kaboos group products are exported to neighboring markets of the Gulf, the neighboring countries, Europe, Japan and America. In 1951, al-Kaboos was the first to introduce the mechanical coffee grinders to Yemen. His name nowadays replaces the historical status of Mocha that points to the coffee of Yemen. In 1996, al-Kaboos group inaugurated the biggest factory for coffee industry in the Middle East according to the popular ways of markets where it is exported. To Japan it exports coffee grains, to the United Sates. Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Spain, Syria and turkey it is exported as ground coffee.
Despite of this marketing activity, the Yemeni farmer has not been urged to double production of coffee because majority of farmers preferred leaving agricultural lands and migrated to towns and immigrated abroad in quest of speedy acquisition of sustenance.
Recent efforts
According to sources of the ministry of agriculture and irrigation, the concerned parties are working on implementation of a project for development of coffee produce in the governorate of Lahj. The project is to include many of constituent elements such as water, training, plantations and production as well as dealings of after harvest through purchasing a large container for gathering and drying the produce inside it. The French-funded project costs around YR186 million. There are also programs to be implemented in cooperation between the ministry of agriculture and irrigation and Sana'a University on breeding a parasite for fighting the insect that destroys coffee in most areas where it is cultivated. A quantity of loss between 30-50% of production is caused by that insect.
The coffee project has begun distribution of modern irrigating networks in a number of coffee growing areas, among which the district of Yafie in Lahj governorate where 10 hectares have been covered with modern irrigation networks. Seven coffee plantations have also been built with local funding. The total number of coffee plantations reaches 18, producing around 300 thousand trees in a year. The total number of coffee trees in Yemen amounts to 15 million seedlings.
Scientific studies recommended the importance of using modern irrigation networks instead of traditional means, taking into account characteristics of external markets, encouragement of farmers and defining a time ceiling helping them continue in growing and producing coffee, encouraging of flow water irrigation of coffee.
Would we witness soon a return to developing of coffee produce in Yemen so that farmers would return to their agricultural farms and terraces to face hardship of living and consequences of price rise doses of oil products, increase in taxation duties on water and electricity bills and others?
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