DIP Promotes Chiang Mai as Coffee City

CHIANG MAI, March 22 (TNA) - The Department of Industrial Promotion is promoting a coffee city project in Chiang Mai and foresees the northern province marketing organic coffee internationally. Kobchai Sungsitthisawad, director-general of the department, said the government, the private sector and local communities joined forces to develop Chiang Mai to be a coffee city. Under the project, all local coffee-related operators and farmers form a cluster to enhance marketing opportunities locally and internationally. Chiang Mai welcomed a large number of tourists so coffee was highly demanded in the province. As coffee demand kept rising, Chiang Mai could become a global center of coffee if its coffee products were developed, Mr Kobchai said. Under the cluster-styled project, participants would be trained on coffee varieties, cultivation, harvesting and roasting techniques, and the operations of coffee shops including coffee preparation, he said. About 100 parties have participated in the project. The Department of Industrial Promotion and the participants are working out a master plan that covers coffee cultivation, processing and distribution as well as the production of organic coffee to meet global demand, Mr Kobchai said. (TNA)