A bit of good news in the export sector reported last week. The highest-ever earnings from coffee exports in a single month were recorded, according to officials at the Ethiopian Coffee & Tea Authority. Over 107 million dollars were received from the exports of 27,000tn of coffee between early March and April 2021, the Authority disclosed. The improved earnings have been attributed to better integration between players in the coffee value chains, from farmers to collectors and exporters. The Authority also cites its implementation of working procedures to shorten the coffee production-to-market chain as a factor behind the high earnings. Coffee accounts for around 30pc of Ethiopia's export earnings of an annual average of 2.5 billion dollars and contributes an estimated five percent to the country's GDP.