Thriving coffee industry brings wealth to county folk of SW China's Yunnan

Coffee farmers have been busy picking coffee cherries in Menglian Dai, Lahu and Wa Autonomous County, Pu'er city, southwest China's Yunnan Province.

As a major producer of Arabica coffee beans in China, Menglian county began trial planting of coffee plants in 1958, and started to promote industrialized and large-scale coffee planting in 1988. 16,081 households in the county are engaging in coffee planting, with the total planting area reaching 110,600 mu (7,370 hectares).

Jin Tao is a 42-year-old coffee grower in Paliang village of the county. The coffee planting area of a cooperative proposed by him exceeds 5,000 mu. Last year, Jin's coffee processing plant sold over 400 tonnes of coffee beans, with sales surpassing 14 million yuan ($1.97 million).

Jin Tao (2nd from left) and his family members pick fresh coffee cherries in Menglian Dai, Lahu and Wa Autonomous County, Pu'er city, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Cheng Hao)

Jin's family has grown coffee plants on 600 mu of land, and over 300 households in the village have joined the cooperative.

Two years ago, the cooperative grew new varieties of coffee plants on 600 mu of land. It also upgraded 300 mu of coffee plantations and promoted standardized coffee planting on 500 mu of contiguous plantations to improve the yield and quality of coffee cherries.

"As a result, the yield per mu has increased by about 300 kilograms of fresh coffee cherries, with the output value per mu rising by over 1,000 yuan. And the coffee beans have a very high premium rate," said Jin.

Overall, the cooperative that Jin initiated has led 345 households with 1,386 people to grow coffee plants, expanding the income of each of these families by an average of 69,600 yuan. In fact, the income of each of 53 households has exceeded 100,000 yuan.

Leveraging favorable policies, Jin upgraded his coffee processing plant by adding devices, including automated ones, in 2022.

Photo shows fresh coffee cherries in a coffee plant in Menglian Dai, Lahu and Wa Autonomous County, Pu'er city, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Cheng Hao)

"The revamp raised the rate of premium coffee beans from 20 percent to 70 percent. So, some long-term clients have increased their purchases of our coffee beans," Jin said.

In the past, 5 tonnes of water were needed to process one tonne of coffee beans. But now, only 50 kilograms of water are needed to process the same weight of beans. The processing has become more environmentally friendly.

Jin has also promoted the integration of tourism with coffee by building coffee houses and homestays, and established a boutique coffee estate, diversifying business forms.

Jin's story is a microcosm of the development of the local coffee industry in Menglian. In recent years, the county has introduced and cultivated new varieties of coffee plants, promoted standardized planting and deep processing, and built coffee estates. Responding to market demand, the county has achieved initial success in developing the boutique coffee industry.

A farmer dries coffee beans in Menglian Dai, Lahu and Wa Autonomous County, Pu'er city, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Cheng Hao)

"Focusing on improving the rate of premium coffee beans, Menglian will strive to build a provincial-level modern agricultural (coffee) industrial park that integrates a seed bank, the cultivation of varieties, modernized planting, preliminary and deep processing, research and development, as well as coffee tasting and displays to make the 'calling card' of Menglian boutique coffee more appealing," said an official with the center for the development of tea and characteristic industries in the county.