Coffee Export to Taiwan Up by 33%

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's coffee exports value to Taiwan increased by 33 percent to US$10 million at the beginning of this year's second semester. In the same period last year, the value of coffee exports to Taiwan reached US$7.6 million.

Arief Fadillah, chairman of the Indonesian Economic and Trade Office (KDEI) for Taiwan, said the increase was supported by lifestyle changes Taiwanese youths and the rise of café businesses throughout Taiwan.

The increase, Arief said, contributed to the total trade value between Indonesia and Taiwan from January to May, which was recorded at a 19-percent surplus, or US$1.5 billion higher compared to the same period last year.

Ikhwan Aman, KDEI's chief of trade, said that coffee businesses in Taiwan are fond of Indonesian coffee, particularly the Mandailing, Toraja, and Java Jampit coffee.

In addition to Taiwan, Indonesian coffee is also popular in Australia. The International Trade Center United Nations Comtrade Statistics showed that the total value of Australia's coffee imports from Indonesia reached US$479.5 million in 2014.

Indonesia is the world's sixth largest coffee exporter with a market value of 5.46 percent. The global coffee market share is currently dominated by Brazil, Colombia, Vietnam, Canada, and Guatemala.

DEVY ERNIS | URSULA FLORENE SONIA