Thousands of people are celebrating International Coffee Day in Lampung that kicked off on Sept. 29 until Oct. 1.

“This event aims to improve the consumption growth of Lampung coffee. We encourage the adults of Lampung to consume the many varieties of Lampung coffee,” said Lampung Governor Muhammad Ridho Ficardo.

The festival also serves as one of the efforts to improve the coffee rehabilitation program established by the Vice President in 2014 and seeks to improve the production of Lampung coffee by one million ton per hectare.

“We hope there’ll be a replacement for coffee plants that are above 30 years old,” he added.

The three-day event is filled with plenty of activities involving local residents and coffee-lovers communities from 16 provinces outside Lampung.

Tourists from Europe, Asia and United States, ambassadors of Malaysia, Vietnam and Colombia, as well as local and international baristas are seen attending the event.

Read also: Lunch at oldest coffee roaster in Java

“Farmers are given knowledge and technology needed for coffee cultivation, meanwhile tourists can view the process of coffee making including the famed Luwak coffee,” said Lampung Tourism Agency head Budiharto.

“There’s also a dance performance from West Lampung regency, the best producer of robusta coffee,” added Budiharto.

On Sept. 30, the festival participants visited the coffee plantation owned by PT Nestle located in Peknon Negeri Agung, Talang Padang district, Tanggamus, where they were given an explanation about coffee cultivation that suits the international standard.

PT Nestle Indonesia then handed out 60,000 coffee seeds that could result in one-ton production per hectare. Visitors also saw the movie Filosofi Kopi (Coffee Philosophy) and the inauguration of Coffee Ambassador from five renowned universities in Lampung.

The ministry's archipelago tourism marketing development deputy Esthy Reko Astuti suggested Lampung to make coffee a primary commodity that can also serve as a tourist destination. For example, visitors can enjoy a cup of Lampung robusta while touring the plantation.

“International Coffee Day is the first step; there's a huge potential in developing a coffee tour in Lampung to support the beautiful nature of the place,” said Esthy. (kes)

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