Coffee Price Expected To Reach Rp20 Thousand Per Kg

Bandarlampung, Lampung (Antara Megapolitan) - Coffee farmers in Lampung Province have expressed the hope that the coffee seed price can increase from less than Rp19,000 per kilogram currently to Rp20,000 per kilogram.

"Coffee price at the farm level is currently below Rp 19,000 per kilogram," said Suudi, a Farmers Group member of Lampung Provincial village of Way Harong Air Naningan here on Saturday.

Suudi further said if the coffee price was to reach Rp20 thousand per kg or above, given the current economic conditions, it will be considered sufficient to meet the needs of everyday life.

In addition, farmers (with such level of coffee price) will also be able to cover the cost of production, like treatment of the coffee plants, including cost of fertilizer, particularly urea.

Earlier, Vice President Jusuf Kalla, during his visit to Lampung on Saturday (Feb 13), said Indonesia's coffee production only rose 1 percent to 500 thousand tons last year.

"Our coffee production has been stagnant. It only reached 500 thousand tons last year, reflecting just 1 percent increase," he told a meeting convened to develop national coffee here.

Indonesia produces an average of 600-700 thousand tons of coffee per year compared to Vietnam, whose coffee output reaches more than 2 million tons, he said.

As a matter of fact, Vietnam once learned coffee farming from Indonesia, he pointed out.

He said Lampung province is the country`s largest robusta coffee producer with an annual production of 100 thousand tons per year.

Also present at the meeting were Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman, Lampung Governor M Ridho Ficardo and a number of officials. (Ant-News).