Coffee Cultivation in the Kingdom

Coffee Cultivation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia isconcentrated in the mountainous highlands of three provinces in the Kingdom: Aseer, al-Bahah, and Jazan. Saudi Khawlani coffee is considered one of the most expensive types of coffee in the world, due to the oily layer surrounding the fruit and its distinctive smell. Coffee cultivation is linked to Saudi coffee preparation, which is served at gatherings and social events in the Kingdom.

Coffee cultivation in the south of the Kingdom was known as an inherited profession. It began about three hundred years ago to meet the personal needs of farmers. Then over time, it represented the nucleus for advancing the practices and methods of this agriculture into its modern way, so that coffee became a commercial crop. The Kingdom's annual production of pure coffee is currently estimated at 2,400 t produced by 398,000 trees on 2,535 farms.

Harvesting the coffee crop in the Kingdom usually begins in the spring. The harvesting process is mostly manual, then it is processed in several ways, including the dried method, the washed method, and the honey method. The methods used in cultivating coffee trees in the Kingdom vary and expand in flexibility, in terms of the practices used, according to many circumstances and factors. Their roots go back to the history of the craft of agriculture, and the depth of its social value throughout history.

Coffee cultivation in the Kingdom, like other agricultural crop production operations, is subject to regulatory controls. Agricultural activities and services, building agricultural and veterinary facilities, and importing and exporting coffee crops, are not executed without obtaining an agricultural register, license, or approval issued by the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture in the Kingdom.

Various regions in the Kingdom contribute to the productivity of the coffee crop, but the mountainous highlands in the south of the Kingdom, specifically in Jazan, al-Bahah, and Aseer Provinces, are considered the most productive ones. They include special coffee farms that produce two main types: Khawlani coffee and Harari coffee.

Jazan Province in the southwest of the Kingdom has about 1,985 coffee farms, covering some mountainous governorates, including al-Da'ir, Fayfa, al-'Idabi, Harub, ar-Rayth, and al-Aridah. Their lands are covered with 340,000 trees, with an average annual production of 2040 t.

The number of coffee farms in Aseer Province is estimated at three hundred farms, encompassing forty thousand trees, and producing 240 t annually. It comes second in coffee production after Jazan Province. Al-Bahah Province comes third in coffee production; it has about 250 farms, encompassing eighteen thousand trees, and producing 108 t annually.

The coffee tree is classified as an evergreen with small leaves and needs a special environment for growth and fruition. The land intended for cultivation should be situated in a location that enables balanced sunlight exposure. Additionally, it should be in areas with a moderate climate throughout the year, at an altitude ranging between eight hundred m and two thousand m above sea level, in addition to the quality of manufacturing techniques used in the output processes of drying and fermentation, which vary according to each farm.

Coffee tree cultivation in the Kingdom begins with the stage of land plowing, followed by seed sowing. It takes about forty days for the coffee bean to turn into a shoot, which in turn takes three years for it to be ready to fruit. When mature, the coffee fruit is red, then the color changes due to extraction, manufacturing, and preservation processes.

The Kingdom is working to develop the production, manufacturing, and marketing of coffee locally and globally. The Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture offers investment opportunities to cultivate coffee in appropriate agricultural areas in the Kingdom. The Coffee Development City was established in al-Bahah Province to provide about one thousand agricultural job opportunities and to plant about three hundred thousand coffee trees.

The coffee city covers an area of 1,662,373 m in Mashuqah village in al-Qura Governorate, al-Bahah Province. It encompasses a model farm, a nursery for cultivating seedlings, an industrial center with workshops, warehouses, a business center, and a training center. The Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture also supervises the Sustainable Rural Development Program 2022-2026. The program aims to produce, process, develop, and promote the coffee crop, and double the cultivated areas.

The local product of the coffee fruit is linked to Saudi coffee preparation, which is served at gatherings and social events in the Kingdom. It is considered a cultural symbol that distinguishes the Kingdom, as the year 2022 was named the Year of Saudi Coffee, as an official tribute to it at the national level, to celebrate coffee and the methods of preparing and presenting it to guests.