The Legal Regime Regulating Coffee Trade in Ethiopia
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Date
2010-01
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Coffee's role in the national economy of Ethiopia has been unparalleled for the past five or so
decades particularly in generoting hard currency. Presently, about 25% of Ethiopian population
depends on coffee for its livelihood. Owing to this, Ethiopian governments have been regulating
the industry more strictly than other agricultural sub-sectors. Regulating the industry by pUlling
legal framework started from early 1950s. Coffee auction system in contrast was set up in 1972.
The legal and institutional frameworks governing coffee trade diverges across the three
governments. During the imperial government, it was relatively liberal and had fairly positive
impact to the industry. During the Dergue era, on the contrary, the overall regulatory regime
including the coffee auction system was highly centralized which negatively affected the industry.
The Transitional Government's market based economic policy on the other hand lifted most of
the restrictions which enabled the country to export record amount of coffee. Yet, the coffee
trade system including the coffee auction was similar.
In August 2008, however, the Ethiopian government introduced a new legal and regulatory
regime which replaced the former one. This regime, among other things, switched coffee trade
from the auction system to commodity exchange model of trading. It is, however, understood in a
different ways by different stakeholders. Some seriously criticized it and others applauded it.
This work studies the detail contents of this new coffee trade regime and its implications to the
coffee industry. The study was conducted based on document analysis, interview, and
observation. The findings of the study show that the present coffee trade regime is generally
good scheme for modernizing the coffee industry. Even so, there are many shortcomings arising
from the very law and/or practice. This work points out the major ones and suggests some
recommendations which the writer thinks to be appropriate.
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Coffee Trade in Ethiopia