Addu farmer successfully grows coffee beans, eyes commercial cultivation

Addu farmer Abdulla Ramzy, popularly known as Zuvaan Dhanduveriyaa, has successfully grown coffee trees with beans now developing on seven plants, as he looks to explore the crop’s potential for commercial cultivation in the Maldives.

Ramzy began experimenting with coffee after bringing young plants from a plantation in Sri Lanka in 2022. An earlier attempt using a coffee plant brought from Pakistan had failed to adapt to local conditions.

The plants were initially kept in a sheltered environment before being moved into direct sunlight in 2024. Ramzy said he adjusts the soil regularly to maintain suitable pH conditions, with the trees beginning to flower last year.

After encountering difficulties with pollination, he planted flowering trees nearby to attract bees. Flowers on seven of the coffee trees have since developed into beans, which he plans to allow to mature before roasting and testing the locally grown coffee.

Ramzy said his next step is to propagate the existing plants and explore developing coffee cultivation into a business. Each of the existing trees is expected to be used to produce additional plants.

While coffee is roasted commercially in the Maldives using imported green beans, local cultivation has not developed into an established commercial crop. Ramzy’s trial could therefore offer an early indication of whether coffee can be grown more widely under Maldivian conditions.

Addu farmer grows coffee beans, eyes commercial cultivation

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