The quality of the coffee produced in Laos will be demonstrated and promoted to local and international markets through the second Lao Green Coffee Competition and online Auction. The event will take place this month and the winning grower will be announced later next month, according to the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI).
The coffee program is part of a larger, multi-year intergovernmental effort to strengthen Lao PDR’s agricultural sector while promoting economic growth and international trade. CQI is applying its coffee connections and expertise to the coffee project, which is part of the United States Department of Agriculture-funded CLEAN project, being implemented by the nonprofit Winrock International in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Department of Agriculture, and the Laos Coffee Association (LCA).
The inaugural Lao PDR green coffee competition last year saw coffees that scored well into the mid-80s, including both arabica and robusta varieties. This year, an auction component is being made possible through the Arise Plus Laos PDR project, funded by the European Union and implemented by the International Trade Centre.
“The institute anticipates 50 specialty arabica and fine robusta samples this year and wants this competition to shine a spotlight on the coffee produced by Lao farmers. They produce great coffee, but it is almost unknown outside of Laos. It’s time to change that,” Ms Conway said. Director General of the Department of Agriculture, Mr Bounchan Kombounyasith, said “In line with the Lao Coffee Sector Export Roadmap (2021-2025), this competition supports the development of the coffee sector as a specialty coffee source and will help to ensure that activities sustain quality standards and phytosanitary measures for export to the US, Europe and Asian markets and provide farmers with better incomes.”
Source: Vientiane Times, Daily Coffee News