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SL's first ever national coffee association launched

25 Nov 2021

Sri Lanka’s first-ever national coffee association was inaugurated as “Lanka Coffee Association” (LCA) under the Sri Lanka Agripreneurs Forum (SLAF).  Issuing a statement, it stated that it represents the collective interests of all stakeholders working towards developing Sri Lanka’s coffee industry to reach new heights.  “Our goal is for all stakeholders to work together in a strategic manner, to elevate the Sri Lankan coffee industry. In addition, the LCA will provide a common platform to voice the industry’s concerns to the Government, and also assist the Government in efficiently disseminating support provided to the industry,” stated LCA Chairperson Rinosh Nasar.  Sri Lanka was once the third-largest producer of coffee in the world. However, the coffee leaf rust disease wiped out the country’s plantations in the 1860s and exports have remained low ever since.  The initiative was supported by the Market Development Facility (MDF), Australia’s flagship private sector development programme that has actively partnered with the Sri Lankan coffee industry over the past four years in championing the growth of the specialty coffee sector.  LCA will aim to create global recognition for the “Ceylon Coffee” brand and the local specialty coffee industry. Spearheaded by the private sector, the association will build and expand the export profile of Ceylon Coffee through industry-wide collaborative efforts, create standards for coffee farming in Sri Lanka, incentivise farmers to increase coffee production, improve the coffee supply chain via knowledge sharing, research, and technology, facilitate price uniformity, lead market-focused initiatives to educate consumers, improve industry co-ordination, and advocate for the local coffee industry. Under the mandate of the Sri Lanka Coffee Constitution, a jointly drafted and accepted legal framework by the LCA members, an executive committee was appointed for a tenure period of two years to realise the association’s objectives in a sustainable and equitable manner. Through its primary and associate member categories, the LCA intends to connect farmers, collectors, processors, roasters, input providers, exporters, students, baristas, and other stakeholders onto a single consensus building platform working towards the development of the national coffee sector. All interested parties who share the interest of developing the local coffee sector are cordially invited to join the association and to actively contribute to the unified goal of developing a sustainable coffee industry for Sri Lanka.


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