Burundi coffee supply value chain analysis (USAID / COMPETE 2010)
Profiling the actors, their interaction, costs constraints and opportunities.
The coffee industry is the country's main export, providing about 70% of foreign currency revenues. Roughly 600,000 rural households, or almost 40% of the population, grow coffee and coffee represents an important source of income in the family economy.
The Burundian farmer’s interest in growing coffee is based on the fact that coffee is a seasonal product that provides a chunk of income larger than what the farmer is able to save during the course of the year. According to the latest statistics available, income from coffee growing provides 50% of family income in the northern region of Buyenzi1. This revenue allows the farmer to finance house construction and send children to school, as well as other small investments.
In addition, with the initiation of micro-credit schemes in rural areas, ownership of coffee trees is the main guarantee that farmers can offer micro-credit institutions (COOPEC2 and others). It worth noting that the construction of de-pulping stations in rural areas led to the (modest) beginnings of industrialization, employment for local labor during the coffee campaign and the opening up of rural areas through the construction of factory access roads which are also used for other purposes.
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