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Burundi, one of East Africa’s smallest countries, is bordered by Tanzania, Rwanda, and the DRC, with a large portion of its western coast along Lake Tanganyika. This beautiful lake sits at 772 masl, while the country's peaks reach up to 2670 masl.
The coffee harvest in Burundi runs from April to July, covering five main coffee-growing regions: Mumirwa, Kirimiro, Kayanza, Ngozi, and Kirundo-Muyinga. The primary varieties cultivated here include Bourbon, French Mission, Jackson, and Mibirzi. Coffee is exported in 60kg bags through the ports of Mombasa in Kenya or Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania.
Specialty and Commodity Coffee Prices
Burundi might account for less than 1% of global coffee production, but it shines in the specialty segment. According to the Specialty Coffee Transaction Guide, Burundian coffee usually cups at an average of 86 points with FOB prices around US$6.83/kg. This is similar to coffee from Rwanda and the DRC and 36% more than the total average price registered by the country in 2022 (US$4.17/kg). However, it's important to note that FOB prices in landlocked Burundi are heavily influenced by transport costs, and the country's road conditions are not as good as those in neighbouring Rwanda.
The Colonial Legacy
Sourcing coffee from Burundi is complex due to historical and political reasons. Despite the potential for high quality, decades of support from international organisations haven't been able to reverse the decline in production. Coffee was introduced by the Belgian colonial administration in the 1930s, which imposed forced labour and production quotas on local farmers. This left a lasting negative perception of coffee farming after the country’s independence in 1962. Because coffee symbolises their colonial past, Burundians are not always inclined to invest in the crop.
Current Challenges
Today, over 600,000 families in Burundi are involved in coffee production (more than 40% of the rural population), making it a significant part of the rural economy. Coffee is one of the main exports, an important source of foreign currency, and is highly valued by the government. However, productivity is hampered by ageing trees, soil fertility loss, and a lack of investment in fertilisers and pesticides.
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The lack of on-farm investment is such that the country’s volumes can fluctuate from 34,000 tonnes to 6,000 tonnes from one year to another. The government's Office for the Development of Coffee in Burundi (ODECA) regulates cherry prices, but enforcement is weak, often turning floor prices into ceiling prices. That’s why farmers in Burundi have been historically paid less than their neighbours.
Complexities of Burundi’s coffee sector
Burundi's coffee sector is a hybrid of public and private entities, with the government both regulating and participating in the market through SOGESTALs (Sociétés de Gestion des Stations de Lavage), responsible for nearly 30 washing stations each.
Efforts to privatise the sector have been contentious and often seen as flawed. In 2009, 13 coffee washing stations were awarded to a Swiss group for one million dollars, a sum deemed inadequate next to the 19 million euros invested by the European Union to renovate 133 wet mills the previous year. Producer associations have also criticised privatisation for the lack of access to farmer ownership of wet mills.
Despite this criticism, private companies focused on value-added coffee have developed a better reputation than government-owned washing stations. Algrano works with Licobu (Lion Coffee Business), a small exporter with stations in Muyinga, Ngozi, and Kirundo. And it’s not all negative either. There are signs of improvement. Coffee prices have been increasing, reaching 1,200 Burundian francs per kg of cherry in 2023, up from 800 BIF/kg in 2022.