Ethiopia earned $2.65 billion from coffee exports in the current Ethiopian fiscal year, marking a significant rise from the previous year’s $1.4 billion. The country shipped 470,000 metric tons of coffee, according to the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority.

The authority attributed the growth to a mix of policy reforms, productivity enhancements, and broader market access. The reforms include allowing smallholder farmers to directly export their harvests, improving traceability and export volumes.

Ethiopia’s coffee earnings in the current EFY outperformed initial projections. Export volume rose from 326,000 tons in the previous year to 470,000 tons, while earnings grew by $1.25 billion year-over-year.

Efforts to modernize the sector included expanded farmer training, the introduction of improved seed varieties, and steps to ensure quality grading. Quality monitoring systems were strengthened to boost Ethiopia’s reputation in premium markets, according to the authority.

The authority also pointed to gains from the Green Legacy initiative, which enabled large-scale planting of high-potential coffee seedlings across key growing regions. Over the past five years, more than 8.5 billion seedlings were planted nationwide, with over 2 billion coffee trees grown under the campaign.