Myanmar: Coffee Catches on as a Cash Crop in the Shan Hills

May 5, 2018 | Katrin Schregenberger, Frontier
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Of the two main varieties of coffee, Arabica is superior to robusta, with a sweeter, softer taste. It’s also harder to grow because it is fussier about climatic conditions. The fact that Arabica can be grown in Myanmar is one reason why it offers strong potential as a cash crop for smallholder growers. The main goal of the Coffee Quality Competition is to identify specialty coffee that is likely to attract international interest. It’s a strategy that has proved successful for growers like U Thiha, 23, who has a plantation at Mogok in the northern mountains of Mandalay Region.