Tanzania Coffee Research Institute (TaCRI) has released new high-yielding disease-resistant coffee varieties for commercial production in an effort to boost the country's cash crop production. Among the varieties are grade 4 Robusta Coffee, a high-yielding large bean that is resistant to Coffee Wilt Disease (CWD). Other varieties include 19 Arabica hybrids, 15 of which are resistant to the Coffee Berry Borer (CBB).
Others include four compact resistant coffee bean varieties that are thought to produce high-quality coffee and are also suitable for high-density planting. The move is part of the Lyamungu-based institution's development of various coffee multiplication protocols.
"The development of drought-tolerant varieties is aimed at addressing climate change issues while also encouraging increased production of the cash crop in Tanzania," explained Dr. Damian Mtenga, Manager of TaCRI's Coffee Improvement Programme.
According to the breeder, such new varieties are intended to be used in areas where coffee was previously grown but abandoned due to a lack of adequate rainfall and irrigation water.
He also hinted at the release of at least three new coffee varieties in the near future.
"Tanzania is one of the few countries with the best coffee in the world," said the coffee connoisseur, "but the introduction of such new varieties results in consistently good, mild coffees with a well-balanced acidity."
Coffee consumption in Tanzania accounts for between 7% and 10% of total coffee production in Tanzania. According to the Daily News, 90% of the coffee is sourced from small-scale farmers, with the remaining 10% coming from large-scale planters.
Tanzania is Africa's fourth-largest coffee producer, trailing Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Malawi, and Malawi.
However, the East African nation is thought to be the continent's leader in the production of Arabica coffee, a well-known coffee variety that is in high demand in the United States of America and Japan.
TaCRI was founded in 2000 with the goal of revitalizing the Tanzania coffee industry by emphasizing the role of stakeholder-led and client-demand-driven research for development.
The Institute provides a critical public service to stakeholders in the country's coffee industry by providing coffee producers with relevant and practical technological innovations and advice not only to improve productivity and quality, but also to increase coffee producers' profitability and livelihoods, as well as Tanzanian coffee's competitiveness on the global market.
