Mozambique has joined the International Coffee Organization (ICO) and signed the International Coffee Agreement (ICA) 2022 at the ICO’s headquarters in London.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Celso Correia said joining the ICO will enable the country to contribute to the development of global coffee sustainability policy and improve dialogue with other coffee-producing nations.
“Our coffee sector is growing fast and is an important part of our plans for the future and the change we wish to bring to our country. It is also one at the heart of our plans for sustainability. Mozambique is proud to now be part of the world’s coffee producing nations. We look forward to more and more people being able to enjoy Mozambique’s coffee in the years and decades to come,” Correia said.
ICO Executive Director Vanúsia Nogueira said Mozambique’s contribution as a full partner of the ICO will be ‘crucial in shaping the coffee industry for a bright, sustainable future’.
Mozambique is the 27th African nation to join the ICO. The country’s developing coffee sector has a strong focus on habitat restoration and biodiversity preservation and is dedicated to long-term sustainability through organic farming, agroforestry and resource diversification within Protected Areas.
Highlighting its commitment to social responsibility and sustainability, 100% of profits from green bean cultivation are returned to local communities.
Mozambique’s coffee industry is overseen by Amocafé, a membership association comprising 11 of Mozambique’s largest coffee producers.
Although the country has a rich coffee-producing history, exports were severely impacted by a 15-year civil war from 1977-1992. In 2021, Mozambique generated $52,200 from coffee exports, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC), making it the 140th largest exporter of coffee in the world by trade value.
Established in 1962 to regulate global coffee prices, the ICA was updated for the first time in 15 years in June 2022 to enable the private sector to participate in the ICO’s development sustainability initiatives.
According to ICO, its members represent 98% of all coffee producing nations and 67% of coffee consumption markets.
