Madikeri: The International Coffee Organisation’s (ICO) Fifth World Coffee Conference will be held in Bengaluru during April 2020. ICO, the main inter-governmental organisation for the coffee producing and consuming countries, is keen that Bengaluru host the next conference.

Every four years, ICO holds the high-level World Coffee Conference to enable discussion around critical topics for the global coffee sector. Previously, the conferences have been held in England during 2001, Brazil in 2005, Guatemala in 2010 and  Ethiopia in 2016.

Bengaluru has been chosen for the conference as it is the Coffee and Café Capital of India and the city accounts for 70 per cent of India’s Coffee that mainly comes from Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru. ICO sources said that the government of Karnataka has extended its full support to the proposed conference.

Bengaluru is known as the ‘Silicon Valley of India’ and has been ranked the most dynamic city in the world (Jones Lang LaSalle’s Fourth Annual City Momentum Index of Cities around the world).

Due to its high elevation, Bangalore usually enjoys a more moderate climate throughout the year. All these conditions have made Bengaluru a favourite choice, sources added.

The conference aims to promote the unique and diverse shade-grown coffees of India globally, promote domestic coffee consumption and provide a platform to tap India’s market. The conference will showcase the latest equipment and technologies from coffee plantations to cafes and promote coffee tourism across established and emerging coffee regions of India.

ICO, which is working to strengthen the global coffee sector and promote its sustainable expansion in a market-based environment, has member governments representing 98 per cent of the world coffee production and 83 per cent of world consumption.