National Coffee Day on Nov 16

KATHMANDU, Nov. 9: The eighth National Coffee Day is to be marked on November 16 with a view to promoting agricultural tourism in the country.

Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai is scheduled to inaugurate the Coffee Day celebrations at the Nepal Tourism Board, said the organizer National Tea and Coffee Development Board.

Speaking at a press meet here Friday, Board Executive Director Raman Prasad Pathak said that although the demand for Nepali coffee was high in foreign countries, the production is not sufficient to meet the demand.

He opined that the government should come up with a concrete plan to encourage farmers towards coffee farming.

Coffee produced in Nepal is being exported to Japan, Jordan, Korea, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates, Cambodia, America, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Britain, Australia, Italy, Bangladesh and Finland.

Coffee farming had begun in Nepal in 1995 BS and its credit goes to one Hira Giri. Presently, around 27,000 farmers are involved in coffee farming on commercial-scale. The cash crop farming is expanded to 40 districts.

National Tea and Coffee Development Board started exporting coffee since 2051 BS. It exported 215 tonnes of coffee this year making an earning of Rs 71.22 million. Green Bean coffee is cultivated on 1,760 hectares in the country at present

Sourced: myrepublica