Addis ababa: China has become the fourth-largest importer of Ethiopian coffee, jumping up from the seventh position it held two years ago, according to Shafi Umer, the deputy director general of the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority.

According to Namibia Press Agency, during the first quarter of Ethiopia’s current fiscal year, which began on July 8, Ethiopia exported approximately 9,470 tonnes of coffee to China, resulting in earnings of 65.49 million U.S. dollars. The revenue from coffee exports to China during this period marked nearly a seven-fold increase compared to the income generated during the same timeframe last year.

Umer pointed out that the surge in coffee exports to China is due to shipments of organic coffee and improved delivery services, which align with the growing demand among Chinese consumers for high-quality coffee.

Germany, Saudi Arabia, and Belgium retained their positions as the top destinations for Ethiopian coffee exports over the last three months. Following China, the United States, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Italy, and Russia emerged as the next seven largest markets for Ethiopian coffee, based on data from Ethiopian authorities.