The toll of coffee on farmers and the rest of the population
An interview with Ashenafi Argaw, an export manager for the Sidama Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union, revealed the toll coffee has had on farmers and the rest of the population. He quotes a farmer telling him, “I depend on coffee for all clothing, food, to pay taxes and medical expenses. Our lives depend on coffee. . . Ten years ago I was producing seven sacks of red cherry, and this was enough to buy clothes, medicines and services. But now, even if I sell four times as much, it is impossible to cover all my expenses . . . Three of the children can’t go to school now because I can’t afford the uniform . . . We have stopped buying teff and edible oil. We are eating just mainly corn.” The Toll of Coffee on Ethiopia’s Trade and More The overall trade of Ethiopia is suffering profusely. They have an incredibly high trade deficit of -2810.70 US Million ( http://www.tradingeconomics.com/ethiopia/balance-of-trade ). The current environmental and political status of the country is wo