Burundi goes for quality over quantity when it comes to coffee

The private sector and government seized on the hosting of the 11th conference and exhibition of the African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA) in Bujumbura on 13-15 February to boost the international reputation of local coffee and forge partnerships with niche buyers.  Opening the conference, which included representatives of the 11 members of the AFCA, President Pierre Nkurunziza announced the government’s three goals for the sector: “Improving production through the revival of the sector, increasing the revenue of producers through a palpable improvement in production and raising cash revenue through the production of specialty coffee and the improvement of commercialization strategies”.

Joseph Ntirabampa, the president of the Confédération Nationale des Associations des Caféiculteurs, says the conference offered “a prime occasion for associations that have washing stations to meet with big buyers so that they can set prices without passing through intermediaries”.

From the buyer’s side, Joël Martin of Swiss company Schluter explains that strong local connections are key in the specialty coffee business: “Schluter has produced a map of all of the washing stations and identified those that produce micro-lots of specialty coffee in order to work on marketing in important markets like the United states, Japan, Australia or Canada.”

Burundi is a smaller coffee producer, and so many local associations have chosen to compete in terms of quality rather than quantity.  Depending on the season, coffee accounts for between 60% and 80% of foreign exchange earnings and contributes to the livelihoods of about 600,000 households.  The ups and downs of the coffee market have led some farmers to abandon coffee in favour of market crops.  “That causes a big problem when a client is not able to find the same quantity each year,” says martin. Nkuruniza’s government and the AFCA hope to turn the tide.

Copyright The Africa Report 2014