Ethiopia earned over $519 million from coffee exports in the first three months of the 2024/25 fiscal year, marking not just a strong start but a historic high, the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority said on Monday.
The Authority announced that more than 115,851 tonnes of coffee, tea and spices were shipped overseas between July-September 2024, generating total export revenue of around $522 million.
Coffee accounted for the bulk of export earnings. Some 115,174 tonnes of coffee were exported in the quarter- the highest first quarter earnings on record.
The figures mark a significant increase compared to the same period last fiscal year. Export volumes rose 69 percent while income grew 46 percent, according to the Authority.
Ethiopia is among the world's largest coffee producers and Africa's top exporter of the commodity. Coffee is also a major foreign exchange earner, making up around one third of Ethiopia's export revenues.