A study case on coffee (Coffea arabica): Limu Coffe - IRD

experts of the local offices of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. That means
the model farmers 7 . So, in Addis Abeba coffee laboratories, coffee shall reach a defined score
in a 0 to 100 scale to obtain the required grade. This score is evaluated upon the coffee defect
distribution and odour at raw value then upon the acidity, body, flavour and cleanness at
cupping. And it is directly linked to the coffee process, wet or dry process, and to the different
cultural practices, harvesting and drying methods and care given to those. This to satisfy
international requirement; if it doesn’t, coffee will be sold in the Ethiopian Commodity
Exchange (coffee exchange place, new auction system) as lower quality coffee, even to the
national market as undergrade coffee, at lower prices. In this production management
approach, quality is intended as a standard set of characteristics which can be measured,
observed and certified (Rangnekar, 2003). Normalisation for uniformity, alongside
traceability, is applied to reach large scale quality goals in Ethiopia, and are both ensured by
the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange Authority and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development 8
. Compared to most other producing countries that have a grading and
classification system by bean size, Ethiopia follows a system of cup taste profile according to
regional flavours (Petit, 2007).
But quality goals are not yet reached and practices generally lead by quantity goals
rather than quality whatever is the value chain actor concerned. Interviews of the three most
influencing local actors go this way:
Feresulla 9
Fetchassa 10
17 kg
0.25 ha
These two units of measure are currently and generally used in the district and the
whole zone, the first one is even the national counting coffee measure up to the national
exchange place (Ethiopia Commodity Exchange in Addis Abeba). And due to the farmer land
size generally inferior to one hectare, the second one is more suitable and in this way
employed.
7 They are innovation vectors, the link between WARDO and other farmers. They take the innovation and spread
it through their farmers’ environment. Thy are generally better-off producers with more than one hectare.
8 Refer 6.1.1) Function and role of each actor of the value chain.
9 Arabic. Could be phonetically written frasleh as did Rimbaud to evoke an ivory trade in his “Rapport sur
l’Ogadine: par M. Arthur Rimbaud agent de MM. Mazeran, Viannay et Bardey, à Harar”, 10 th December 1883.
10 Oromic.
10