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News > Science and Tech

Ethiopians Discover New Medicine to Prevent Coffee Disease

  • A farmer at a coffee farm in Gomma of Oromia, Ethiopia, Sept. 22, 2021.

    A farmer at a coffee farm in Gomma of Oromia, Ethiopia, Sept. 22, 2021. | Photo: Xinhua

Published 22 July 2022
Opinion

"The medicine will substitute Trichoderma that Ethiopia imports to prevent fungal pathogens from spreading and infecting coffee and other plants," lead researcher Alemu said.

Researchers in Addis Ababa University in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, have discovered the medicine using another plant fungus.

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"The medicine will substitute Trichoderma that Ethiopia imports to prevent fungal pathogens from spreading and infecting coffee and other plants," lead researcher Tesfaye Alemu said, adding that the newly discovered medicine would help prevent other plant diseases as well, and it can be applied without the use of any chemical.

Alemu expressed his optimism that the discovery will help the East African country save foreign currency, and boost the quality and quantity of coffee production. He said the new medicine will be distributed shortly after a series of explanations are delivered to coffee growers on its application.

The new medicine helps mainly prevent coffee wilt disease (CWD), which blocks the movement of water up the plant and causes the stem and leaves to dry.

Information obtained from the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority revealed that coffee berry disease (CBD), CWD and coffee leaf rust (CLR) are the three major fungal diseases of Arabica coffee, reducing coffee production and consumption in the country.

Ethiopia, known as the origin of Arabica coffee, is recognized worldwide for its rich coffee quality and flavor, which ranges from winy to fruity and chocolate, making the country's coffee varieties on demand across the globe.

The East African country exported 300,000 metric tons of coffee during the just-concluded Ethiopian 2021/22 fiscal year that ended on July 7, eventually generating US$1.4 billion in revenue, according to Ethiopia's Agriculture Ministry.

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