Rwanda: Coffee income drops drastically, Farmers seek govt support

Rwandan coffee farmers are seeking help from the government after the income dropped from Rwf267 in 2018 to Rwf190 this season. The new price was declared last week by the National Agricultural Export Development Board.

The farmers have no other options but to accept what the market is currently offering, the President of Rwanda Coffee Cooperatives’ Federation, Theopiste Nyiramahoro said to The New Times. Some farmers started harvesting their produce this month while others will harvest from March through June 2019.

“The price is not good, but because there is no other alternative, we accept that as we don’t have anywhere to sell it,” Theopiste Nyiramahoro opined adding that the new price will reduce farmers’ profits.

The price on international market had dropped from $3.3 per kilogramme in 2018 to $2.2 per kilogramme in 2019, Celestin Gatarayiha, the Coffee Division Manager at National Agricultural Export Development Board said. “The farmgate price may change if there is change on the international market,” he added.

“Again when we fix the farmgate price we also consider the cost of production at the different levels of the coffee value chain. For example, for a farmer to produce one kilogramme of cherries they need to invest Rwf177. If they get Rwf190, they make a small profit,” he further said.

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