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  • Feb 19th, 2005
  • Comments Off on Ethiopia to grow decaffeinated coffee
Ethiopia, Africa's biggest coffee producer, said on Wednesday it would be able to grow naturally decaffeinated crops with the finest flavour within the next five to eight years. "We are in the process of identifying varieties of naturally decaffeinated coffee from up to 5,000 different samples we collected from Haraghe, Yirga-cheffe, Jimma and Wellega, Ethiopian regions reputed for producing the finest arabica coffee," Tsedeke Abate, Director General of the state-owned Agricultural Research Organisation, told Reuters.

"Once we establish through bio-technology that the plant is decaffeinated, the country would be able to produce the variety in a large quantity within five to eight years," he added.

"What we are aiming at is not only to produce a naturally grown decaffeinated coffee but also coffee which also maintains the finest cup quality and flavour," he added.

Tsedeke said Ethiopian experts were also working on ways to frustrate piracy and protect the genetic origin of their country's plant variety.

"Our experts are also in the process of genetic finger-printing of Ethiopia's coffee varieties to protect the country's plant resources," he added.

Ethiopian officials had reacted angrily after they discovered that a Brazilian scientist had discovered naturally decaffeinated coffee from plants taken from the Horn of Africa country.

Tsedeke said the plant was taken to Brazil before an international convention regulating ownership of indigenous plants came into force.

Copyright Reuters, 2005


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