- The UN's International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF) and two of Japan's leading companies, coffee manufacturer UCC Ueshima Coffee Co.,Ltd. (UCC) and trading company Marubeni Corporation (Marubeni), launched a pilot project to support small-scale coffee producers in Tanzania to sustainably increase their production. The collaboration was announced at the Sustainable Coffee Production Project event held at the United Nations University in Tokyo today.
The pilot is the first project to be launched as part of the Enhanced Linkages between Private sector and Small-scale producers (ELPS) initiative led by Japan under its G7 Presidency in 2023.
The ELPS initiative aims to forge partnerships between large corporations in the Global North and small-scale producers in the Global South to promote more sustainable and productive farming practices. As the implementing agency, IFAD leverages its extensive networks with rural communities and farmers to connect them to private sector companies.
"The private sector plays a crucial role in driving investment and fostering innovation in agri-food systems. The project we are launching today is a great example. We are jointly enhancing the productivity of small-scale coffee producers in Tanzania to improve their livelihoods by increasing access to international markets," said Gérardine Mukeshimana, IFAD Vice-President.
"From IFAD's earliest days, Japan has been a vital partner in our mission to transform food systems, fight poverty and malnutrition, and foster rural development. We are excited to see our partnership extend into Japan's private sector," she added.
Mitsuo Takahashi, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan stated in his opening remarks: "The Basic Act on Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas that was revised in May this year clearly states that efforts will be made to diversify import partner countries through public-private partnerships and to promote investment in import partner countries. The ELPS initiative which was launched at the G7 Agriculture Ministers' Meeting in Miyazaki, chaired by Japan, is one effective means of putting the principles of this Basic Act into practice. Mentioned in the G7 Hiroshima Summit Leaders' Declaration last year and in the UN Secretary-General's report, this initiative has generated strong expectations globally. We hope that through the ELPS initiative, Japan's contribution to improve income and sustainability in rural areas of Tanzania will open up new horizons."
"Global demand for coffee continues to grow, making a stable supply of high-quality coffee beans a key challenge. We have been focusing on Tanzania for some time, and we believe that by supporting production areas, we can increase production that is high quality and considers the ecosystem. UCC began managing its own farms more than 40 years ago, and has since set up a specialized department to support production areas and provide ongoing support," said Fumihiko Asada, Representative Director-President of UCC. "As a private business, we want to provide the maximum resources we have and make an impact with a long-term perspective," he added.
Hidefumi Oya, Executive Officer of Marubeni said: "While a stable supply of coffee becomes more difficult due to rising demand caused by increasing global consumption and supply instability caused by climate change, we believe that working with the public sector to contribute to a stable supply is an important mission. We believe that if we can work with the public sector, such as the government and the United Nations, we can solve social issues through business."
"Coffee farmers' communities face challenges such as coffee berry diseases and leaf rust, which are common pests for coffee, and factors like availability of fertilizers. The government may not be able to overcome these challenges alone but working together with the private sector and other institutions, I believe that we can come up with a solution," said Bowa Sijali, a Tanzania Coffee Board (TCB) representative from the Mbeya Zone, in a video message broadcasted during the event.
The project aims to improve agricultural productivity and sustainability but also increase the income of small-scale producers. It will support nine farmers organizations and cost approximately US$460,000. UCC will provide training on nurseries, agroecological farming practices, compost production, and post-harvest processes. Marubeni will conduct research on locally available resources for compost production, and monitoring and reporting. Japan is Tanzania's largest buyer of its Arabica production. The project will help ensure consistent procurement over time.
The ELPS initiative will continue to develop similar projects in partnership with private companies both in Japan and abroad. In their Joint Statement issued in April 2023, IFAD and MAFF committed to enhancing their strategic partnership to encourage private sector involvement and to make agri-food systems more resilient and sustainable. To date, MAFF has contributed approximately US$3 million to IFAD for the implementation of the ELPS initiative.
