Malaysians are consuming more coffee and enjoying it more than ever, to the point that we are Asia Pacific’s third-largest consumer of the beverage.
We consumed 597,064 bags of coffee beans in 2021 compared to 344,783 bags in 2020, a 73 percent increase.
With each bag weighing 60 kg, this indicates that Malaysia drank an additional 252,281 bags of coffee beans.
According to data from the International Coffee Organization (ICO), Malaysia is ranked third among 58 nations in the area for the biggest rise in coffee consumption in 2021.
According to the International Coffee Organization (ICO), an organization established by the United Nations to develop the world’s coffee industry, South Korea and Australia were the top two nations ahead of Malaysia.
“South Korea, Australia and Malaysia were the top three drivers of the region’s 3.7 percent increase in coffee consumption in 2021.
“Together, the three countries added an extra 0.9 million bags of coffee consumption,” read an excerpt from the ICO’s Coffee Report and Outlook released in April this year.
Coffee beans are often carried and kept in 60 kg bags, also known as gunny sacks, which are a universally accepted measurement.
Demand for local coffee decrease
The amount of locally cultivated coffee has been declining, despite Malaysia’s significant coffee consumption.
According to information provided by the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi), our country produced more than 23,000 tonnes of coffee in 2008, but this number has slowly decreased throughout the years.
“One of the main reasons why our local coffee production is decreasing is due to the decrease in total planted area with coffee,” says Mardi director-general Datuk Dr Mohamad Zabawi Abdul Ghani in an interview.
According to the Agriculture Department’s industrial crop statistics, the total area planted with coffee has declined by nearly 36 percent during the previous 13 years, from 3,538 ha in 2008 to 2,283 ha in 2021.
“It’s expected to continue decreasing with many coffee smallholders opting to convert their coffee plantations into more lucrative crops such as palm oil or even durian,” foresees Mohamad Zabawi.
According to United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization statistics, Malaysia was ranked 47th out of 79 coffee-producing countries in 2021.
In that year, the top three countries producing the majority of the world’s coffee were Brazil, Vietnam, and Indonesia.