Indonesian Coffee Still Popular During the Pandemic, Demand for Exports to Egypt Increases

Jakarta –

The Indonesian coffee market is still promising even in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. In fact, based on data, demand for Indonesian coffee exports to Egypt is increasing.

The Covid-19 pandemic has indeed had a big impact on the culinary business sector. Many culinary businesses were forced to close down because they lost buyers. Likewise for several coffee businesses.

In several big cities, the coffee shop business is not as busy as before the pandemic. But entrepreneurs have the idea to make coffee with a ready-to-drink concept.

Indonesian Coffee Still Popular During the Pandemic, Demand for Exports to Egypt Increases Photo: ANTARA FOTO/IRWANSYAH PUTRA

This concept is considered effective, several coffee shops present coffee in large packages so that it can be used as drink stock for coffee fans. Not only domestically, it turns out that demand for Indonesian coffee abroad also remains stable.

Reporting from Indonesia.go.id (2/9) exporters remain busy packing coffee beans to be sent abroad. International trade did not completely close during the pandemic, especially for food and beverage ingredients, including Indonesian coffee.

Just one example is the demand for Indonesian coffee by Egyptians. During the 2020 pandemic, demand for coffee exports to Egypt actually increased by 21 percent compared to before the pandemic.

Minister of Trade (Mendag) Agus Suparmanto said that this increase in coffee exports was possible thanks to the hard work of Indonesian exporters and the ranks of the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo. All contracts can run as agreed. “We will still make more deliveries, according to the export contracts that have been agreed for the April-May 2020 period,” said Agus Suparmanto.

Based on data, in March 2020 there were 18 coffee containers sent to Egypt. For April 2020 there will be an additional 12 containers.

If you look at data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) in February 2020, Indonesia is the number one exporter of coffee beans to Egypt with an export value of USD 12.62 million. This value increased by 21.75 percent compared to the same period last year of USD10.36 million.

There was an increase in quantity by 29.53 percent or 7,274 tons for February 2020 compared to February 2019 which was 5,615 tons.

Indonesian coffee is popular with Egyptian people. Around 62 percent of the Egyptian coffee market is controlled by Indonesian coffee. The robusta coffee type is the most favorite.

Indonesian Coffee Still Popular During the Pandemic, Demand for Exports to Egypt Increases Photo: iStock

During the pandemic there was a change in the coffee sales system in Egypt. Many restaurants, hotels and coffee shops are closed but coffee sales have now shifted to an online system. Egyptians can still enjoy coffee delivered directly to their homes.

Minister of Industry (Menperin) Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said that the Covid-19 pandemic does not mean killing people’s creativity and activities. The government ensures that the economy can continue to run, one of which is through encouragement from the national coffee industry.

In 2019 Indonesia produced almost 730,000 tons of coffee beans. More than half of it is exported to various countries, while the other part is consumed domestically. Unfortunately, coffee consumption in Indonesia is still relatively low, namely only 1.4 kilograms per capita. This figure is only a quarter of the per capita consumption of Europeans or Japanese, even though Indonesia is one of the largest coffee producing countries.

(dvs/odi)