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Coffee is Ethiopia's Gift to the World

ECTPM started its business with the commencement of coffee plantation at Gemadro in the Southern Regional State, Sheka Zone, Gecha Wereda, Yoki-Chichi-Gemadro Kebele. Gemadro is the name of a river and of a community so it is adapted to be the name of the Plantation.  It is located some 710 km southwest of Addis Ababa and has an altitude ranging from 1500 to 1900 m.  This altitude is where the best highland Ethiopian Arabica coffee grows.  The total average annual precipitation is 1900 mm, which is distributed over 8-9 months of the year.  Thus, no irrigation is necessary.  Average year-round temperature ranges from 14.5-28 ^oC, giving Gemadro a pleasant temperature and a frost-free area, which is endowed with the optimum conditions regarded essential for the development of highland quality coffee.

Between 1998-2001, a total of 1010 ha of the 2295 ha of its holding was planted with coffee. The remaining land is left for preserving the existing natural vegetation. The plantation is modern and probably the first of its kind in the country with respect to the adoption of conservation-based plantation system in order to arrest land degradation and by that sustain land the ecology.

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Coffee Type

Gemadro coffee is Arabica with the distinctive Ethiopian highland coffee quality of unique aroma and flavour.  Over 10 selections of good quality Arabica coffee are grown to give Gemadro coffee a broad genetic base, which is typical of Ethiopian coffee in general. The first year plantation on 310 ha has just started giving its first crop, which is assumed to be of high quality. However, harvesting from all the plantation will start in September 2002 and would be ready for marketing in early 2003.  The plan for the production of organic coffee is also underway. Some basic foundations that could lead to organic coffee production have already initiated and are on progress.

At Gemadro, fully ripen red berries are selectively hand picked between September and December every year. The work of picking the berries relies on hundreds of seasonal workers the company takes up every year.  Incidentally, this is one way of helping improve the lives of the people by creating job opportunities for the local workforce, including female. Harvested coffee beans are processed either by wet or dry methods. For this purpose, the Plantation has constructed one coffee processing station that consisted of a complete pulping set, a huller and artificial drier. The plan is to produce about 80% washed and the remaining 20% unwashed coffee. 

Gemadro coffee will be exported by maintaining its origin and the name of the Plantation. At full production, between 1000–1300 tons of highland Arabica coffee will be ready for export annually. In addition to exporting green coffee, ECTPM invites partners to participate in a joint venture to develop markets for roasted/ground coffee.

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Inputs

The main aim of the coffee plantation is the production of high quality coffee for export market. The coffee selections planted at the site are already resistant to a wide range of diseases, including coffee berry disease. Pest and disease control is through an integrated approach.  Soil fertility is maintained using a comprehensive approach that involves leguminous cover crops, compost, mulch, and organic fertilizers. Some of the cover crops grown include Crotalaria juncea, Calopogonium mucunoides, Desmodium ovalifoli, Leucaena spp, Sesbania sesban, Cajanus cajan, and Acacia spp. In addition, organic fertilizers like ‘ORGAMIN’ (a product of a Japanese company as a source of nitrogen) and ‘Orga’ (a product of national fertilizer manufacturing company as a source of phosphorus) are under trial. Using a combination of the above approaches, the company is preparing the groundwork for producing organic coffee.

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