The Zimbabwe coffee industry has faced numerous challenges in the last couple of years, chief of which has been the effect of the national land redistribution program. Unfortunately, this exercise has had a devastating effect on the coffee industry, as those coffee estates that have been resettled have not remained productive and in most cases the coffee plantations have been pulled out. The remaining farmers have been wary of increasing production owing to the uncertainty surrounding their own land tenure.
For instance, the 2004/2005 season saw a national crop of approximately 3,500 tonnes, with just less than 2,000 tonnes of that being delivered to Zimbabwe Coffee Mills Limited for processing and selling. In the 2005/2006 season, the mill received 1,650 tonnes of the national crop, which was estimated at 2,200 tonnes.
As an illustration of the continuing effects of the land redistribution exercise, in 2004/2005 Zimbabwe Coffee Mills Limited processed coffee for 51 commercial growers and 96 small scale growers. In 2005/2006, those numbers had declined to 22 and 56 respectively.
Zimbabwe Coffee Mills Limited, however, continues to procure pre-season financing on behalf of growers. As an organization in its own right, Zimbabwe Coffee Mills Limited has striven to remain operational for the sake of the remaining coffee growers by extending its operations into activities related to, but not entirely dependant on, coffee processing alone.
About half the world’s specialty
coffees are produced in the fine coffee belt of Africa,
which stretches from Ethiopia through Zimbabwe, and
tremendous potential exists to produce more and improve
the quality of these fine coffees. While the potential
indeed exists, coffee from the region only constitutes
about 15% of the world's specialty coffee imports.
The Eastern African Fine Coffees Association is a member-driven
association of specialty coffee producers, processors
and marketers from ten chapters in the Eastern African
Region: Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda,
Tanzania, Uganda, Madagascar, Zambia, Zimbabwe and
South Africa.
Our membership is continually growing, and the Association
has already grown beyond the confines of Eastern
Africa to include Central and Southern Africa coffee
growing regions. Membership currently also extends
to buyers and coffee specialists from all over the
globe, all who share a passion for coffee from its
original source, the real thing.
The Association was set up to tap into the wonderful
potential afforded by the fine coffees of Africa,
providing market linkages for both buyers and sellers
of specialty coffee so that people around the world
can enjoy and appreciate coffee from the source.
Very special coffee from a very special part of the
world.
The Zimbabwe coffee industry has faced numerous challenges in the last couple of years, chief of which has been the effect of the national land redistribution program. Unfortunately, this exercise has had a devastating effect on the coffee industry, as those coffee estates that have been resettled have not remained productive and in most cases the coffee plantations have been pulled out. The remaining farmers have been wary of increasing production owing to the uncertainty surrounding their own land tenure. 
See
all news 
