Development Economics - Yemeni coffee growers look to sell direct to improve returns

Last month saw an unusual coffee auction in London, with the National Yemen Coffee Auction selling coffee beans exclusively from the country and designed to showcase their quality.

This is reported in the Guardian

The cultivation of coffee, it is thought, originated in Yemen, and the auction was an attempt to connect Yemeni producers directly with markets and ensure that returns went to them rather than foreign exporters, attempting to increase the value added to farmers.

If this can be achieved, it could boost the fragile economy's development prospects, although the Yemenis need to be aware of the drawbacks of dependence upon primary products too.

“Modern coffee cultivation is said to have begun in Yemen in about the 15th century, with trade passing through the port of Mocha. But by 2020, it ranked 61st in coffee exports, selling $21m of beans compared with Brazil’s $5bn.”