"This number, however, is still lower than Vietnam, which is placed second in the ranking, with 1.53 million tons a year, making up 16 percent of the entire coffee production in the world," Karniwa remarked while reading out the deputy governor`s address during the opening of Plantation Day in Bandung on Monday.
He believed that Indonesia`s ranking indicated a potential that should be explored further, especially considering that in the last few years, West Java`s coffee had received prestigious global awards, one of which was bestowed at the coffee festival held in Atlanta, the United States, two years ago when West Java`s coffee received the highest score.
He noted that such an achievement encouraged the Government of West Java to continue to provide creative assistance to introduce locally grown coffee and its quality.
One of the ways was through the "Ngopi Saraosna" event held six times and having received positive responses from the public and media.
"Also held were business meeting activities in the plantation community, initiated by the West Java Plantation offices, which can help bridge the gap between producers and the market," he remarked.
He is confident that the plantation industry in West Java, especially for coffee, will continue to grow. In plain view, such projection can be materialized as indicated from the ever-growing coffee shop businesses in the city.
"For that reason, I support the assistance featuring two million coffee seeds, and it would hopefully help increase the coffee standards in West Java. We also need better access to the market and ensure that we can maintain production in order to prevent the price of the commodity from plummeting," he emphasized.
The West Java provincial government has currently distributed six million certified coffee seeds to residents, who are members of farmer groups. The distribution of coffee seeds was part of the efforts to boost the production and quality of coffee in West Java.
"(Total coffee beans that have been distributed) add up to four million, and with the additional two million, it has now reached six million coffee seeds," he added.
At the event, Karniwa symbolically handed out certified coffee seeds to three farmer groups, and two million coffee seeds will be provided in stages in 12 districts in West Java.
Reporting by Ajat Sudrajat/Aria Cindyara
Editing by Rahmad Nasution
Reporter: antara
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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