Madagascar and the exquisite beans

Numerous plants thrive particularly well in Madagascar's tropical climate. Agriculture thus takes up an essential part of the life of the Population in Madagascar one. Besides luxury goods such as Vanilla, Fine cocoa, Pepper and ClovesThe cultivation and processing of coffee also plays a major role in Madagascar. With Love and care the coffee of the red island is still Hardly mechanical processed. Like most agricultural products in Madagascar, coffee is primarily produced by smallholder farmers. without the addition of artificial fertilizers grown on small areas in the shade of other plants. The coffee cherries here are only Individually harvestedwhen they are ripe and red. The beans are then roasted on a metal plate over a charcoal fire and pounded with large wooden mortars.

Varieties and cultivation of Malagasy coffee

As early as the beginning of the 19th century, French settler André Michaux introduced the coffee plant to Madagascar and cultivated on his lands near Tamatave Arabica coffee an. As the climate of this coastal region did not offer the coffee plants optimal growing conditions, the plantations were moved to the Highland relocated. Even though the climate there was far more favorable, this first attempt to cultivate coffee on the red island failed because the species was too susceptible to fungi and parasites. It was not until the more resistant species Coffea Liberica was introduced from the neighboring island of Réunion that coffee cultivation was able to establish itself on Madagascar. Kouliou from Congo was also cultivated on Madagascar for some time, but did not establish itself.

The particularly popular Arabica coffee, which is characterized by its noble aroma is grown today primarily in Madagascar's highlands. The contrasting seasons with temperatures between 18° and 24°C, provide the plant with optimal conditions to form many cherries. The more heat resistant Robusta coffee (Coffea canephora), on the other hand, may also be along the east coast be grown where the average temperatures are between 24 ° and 26 °.