"The treasure of Yemen" International Coffee Day is celebrated in Sana'a

A variety of coffee is served during an event organised for International Coffee Day in Yemen's capital Sanaa
A variety of coffee is served during an event organised for International Coffee Day in Yemen's capital Sanaa Copyright MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP or licensors
By Katy Dartford with AFP
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Mired in civil war since 2014 and one of the Arabian Peninsula's poorest nations, Yemen was once best known for its coffee industry

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In Yemen, different kinds of fresh and roasted local coffee grains are tasted at a festival in the Huthi-held capital Sana'a, to mark International coffee day.

Yemen, mired in civil war since 2014 and one of the Arabian Peninsula's poorest nations, was once best known for its coffee industry.

"Before, Yemenis were not aware of the importance, the quality, and the global value of the Yemeni coffee grains," says Abdel Khaleq al Abrat, director of the Coffee Export and Production Coorporation.

"Today the farmers have replaced the culture of qat for coffee grains, and the Bedouins drink coffee every day in the morning, or during their breaks. Its international quality is known to every Yemeni, who now know coffee is the treasure of Yemen. "

MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP or licensors
A variety of fresh and roasted coffee grains are on display in SanaaMOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP or licensors

Organiser of the coffee festival and coffee merchant, Jalal Jarma hopes Yemeni coffee will return to its former glory. "Yemeni coffee and the port of Mocha, (where coffee was exported) has been famous for the coffee trade and the export of coffee all over the world for 600 years," he explains.

MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP or licensors
A variety of fresh and roasted coffee grains are on display at an event organised on the International Coffee Day in Yemen's capital Sanaa,MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP or licensors

International Coffee Day is an occasion to promote and celebrate coffee as a beverage, with events now happening around the world.

It's also used to promote fair trade coffee and raise awareness for the plight of coffee growers, who now face the unprecedented situation of the Covid-19 pandemic that has negatively impacted both supply and demand in parallel for the first time.

MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP or licensors
Serving filtered coffee during an event organised on the International Coffee Day in Yemen's capital SanaaMOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP or licensors
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