Coffee can enter UAE: Official

PAPUA New Guinea coffee is one of the best in the world and has the potential to enter the United Arab Emirates (UAE) market, an official says.
Coffee Podium managing director Brandon Mawanda made the remark during the PNG investment forum at the World Expo in Dubai.
The PNG team gave him samples of PNG coffee to taste before his presentation.
Mawanda said a key issue that needed to be considered was the ability for the coffee to gain the trust and build its reputation in the market.
He said the quality of roasts done by coffee producers was something that coffee producers needed to be wary of when intending to enter the UAE market.
Coffee Podium is a coffee specialised company based in the UAE. It understands the UAE market requirements.
Coffee Podium has specialised barristers and provides barrister services apart from providing training for coffee farmers.
But Mawanda said many clients in the UAE were now switching from exporters to direct farm deliveries.
“The obvious explanation for the shift is that farmers earn more for cherry deliveries than home processed deliveries, as they don’t have to absorb the weight losses associated with drying,” he said.
Mawanda said this was why the Government needed to continue to invest in building rural infrastructure to meet the growing demand for cherry deliveries.
Dr Suheel Ahmed said given that PNG had organic produce, his company was interested in partnering with PNG to supply feeds as well as healthy chicken to support its farm production.