Malawi’s coffee sector is small but notable for producing both washed arabica and some robusta, grown primarily in the highlands of the Northern and Central regions. Unlike most coffee origins, in which production is dominated by smallholders, in Malawi (like neighboring Zambia) production is dominated by estates.1 Coffee is a niche export, but the country’s high elevations and favorable climate create potential for specialty markets. Challenges include aging trees, low yields, and disease (coffee wilt disease nearly wiped out cultivation among smallhoders the 1980s and 1990s1) and limited access to inputs, but these also present opportunities for investment in renovation, farmer training, and improved processing infrastructure.
1. Sustainability of the Coffee Sector in Africa, ICO, 2015.
2. Kalima, D. SCA. 2021.
