Ethiopia Unveils Five-Year Coffee Package Targeting $6 Billion in Exports by 2031

A National Plan to More Than Double Productivity

Stakeholders from across Ethiopia's coffee value chain convened at a national consultative forum at the Ministry of Agriculture on June 27, 2026, to discuss a new five-year national coffee development package designed to significantly enhance the country's returns from its flagship export crop.

ECTA Director General Dr. Adugna Debela said implementation of the package is expected to boost coffee productivity from the current 900 kilograms per hectare to 2,100 kilograms by 2031 — raising average yields from 9 to 21 quintals per hectare and narrowing the gap with high-yield producers like Brazil and Vietnam.

From $3 Billion to $6 Billion

The productivity gains are projected to push annual coffee export earnings to $6 billion — double the record $3 billion Ethiopia generated in the 2025/26 fiscal year ending July 7. Coffee already accounts for more than 30 percent of the country's total export trade revenue, supported by more than 6 million smallholder farming households.

Agriculture Minister Addisu Arega emphasized the government's commitment to "transforming the sector, and further augmenting the country's coffee export earnings," building on the reforms — quality upgrading, traceability, market diversification, and value addition — that carried exports from $1.4 billion in 2023 to $3 billion in just three years.

Why the Target Is Credible

The package lands on fertile ground. Ethiopia's production has grown four years running, a national rejuvenation campaign is restoring aging tree stock, 100,000 hectares have been allocated for mechanized commercial farms, and new market access — from China's zero-tariff policy to AfCFTA — keeps widening demand. Yield improvement is the last major untapped lever, and it is the explicit focus of this plan.

For buyers, a doubling of export value by 2031 implies substantially more volume and more consistent quality of Ethiopian green coffee beans reaching the market. Establishing relationships with an Ethiopian coffee exporter now positions importers to grow alongside the sector.