The new directive which makes bulk container shipping mandatory for Ethiopian exporters has been met with opposition from international buyers.
The new shipping system replaces the 60 kilogram bags used to export coffee with one container size bag into which coffee is stored. Associations representing major importers from Germany and Switzerland wrote letters of complaint against the new bulk container shipping to their Embassies in Ethiopia, the Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ten associations, representing major importers of Ethiopian coffee, opposed to the new shipping regulation have turned to other coffee exporting countries according to sources.Ethiopian coffee sale requirements have not been met for this week while Kenyan and Colombian Coffee exports of Arabica type have seen an increase in price on the international market.
It is expected that Ethiopian Coffee Exporters Association will lodge a letter of protest with the office of the Prime Minister by the end of this week according to sources.
It is to be remembered that the prices of unwashed Arabica coffee from Ethiopia were reported to have decreased by an estimated 6.9% on the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange last week.
The fall in prices occurred as the volume of washed and unwashed coffee traded on the exchange increased from 2295 metric ton to 2529 metric tons said an email statement from the exchange on Dec 9th.
Source: The Reporter
