Championing Sri Lanka’s emerging specialty coffee sector

MDF sees potential in the ‘specialty coffee’ segment as the sector offers greater value for smallholder farmers. 

Nearly 80 per cent of specialty coffee produced in Sri Lanka originates from smallholder farmers and backyard farmers, who are mostly women. This system of smallholder production of Sri Lankan coffee positions it well to take advantage of the growing demand for quality and diversity in the global market, while benefiting poor men and women.

However, Sri Lanka is currently not able to produce a continuous supply of specialty coffee to compete with the global market.

MDF identifies a range of opportunities in crop management, post-harvest management, farmer knowledge, and adaptation of modern, innovative agricultural techniques and technologies, to support the local coffee value chain become more resilient and reliable in the future.