National Coffee Day: IPB University Expert Reveals Major Challenges in Indonesia’s Coffee Industry
Dr Dian Herawati, a coffee expert and researcher at the Southeast Asian Food and Agricultural Science and Technology (SEAFAST) Center at IPB University, has highlighted that the biggest challenges facing the national coffee industry currently lie in the upstream sector.
According to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) in 2023, Indonesia’s coffee production reached 758,730 tons, with exports totaling 279,940 tons (around 37 percent of total production) and imports hitting 41 thousand tons (BPS 2024).
While Indonesia ranks fourth among the world’s largest coffee producers, following Brazil, Vietnam, and Colombia, Dr Dian warns that without improvements in the upstream sector, Indonesia risks being overtaken by other countries.
Dr Dian added that global issues such as climate change significantly impact coffee production, resulting in soaring coffee prices in the market.
In Indonesia, several challenges exist in the upstream sector for coffee commodities, including low productivity, slow rejuvenation of plants in some areas, a shortage of young human resources, and complex supply chains.
Currently, the 90 percent of Indonesia’s coffee cultivation is dominated by robusta, while the remainder consists of arabica. Arabica grows well in high-altitude mountainous areas with cooler air, whereas robusta can be cultivated in lower altitudes with warmer climates.
“Nevertheless, in recent years, there has been an interesting phenomenon where arabica coffee cultivation is gaining popularity. This is supported by the rapid growth of local coffee shops that offer specialty arabica from various regions in Indonesia,” Dr Dian explained.
On the occasion of National Coffee Day, she invites all parties to contribute according to their roles to strengthen Indonesia’s coffee position in the global market.
“Let us contribute to advancing national coffee in line with our respective roles. As academics at IPB University, we have been conducting research on Indonesian coffee since 2015, exploring the characteristics of Indonesian coffee, particularly its health benefits,” she stated.
