NAEB announces a new plan for Rwandan coffee

Speaking at a one day event centred upon the Rwandan coffee sector, George William Kayonga, the Chief Executive Officer for the National Agricultural Export Board (NAEB), announced plans for a new government back initiative that will, hopefully, improve both productivity and quality of the cash crop.

 This new policy aims to redress a number of issues which has plagued the country’s coffee industry in recent years, making everything more streamlined and efficient in the process.

“We want to analyse where we are coming from, where we have registered success and where we think we have fallen short,” Kayonga announced at the conference.

In a bid to tackle the problems caused by drought, disease and pests there will also be an additional focus upon research into weather and insect resistant varieties and other agricultural technologies that will make farmers more profitable in the long term.

To look forwards, the decision makers opted to look sideways. The committee took advice from all corners, listening to ideas and recommendations from the private sector, academic experts and local farmers as well as casting their eyes outside of their borders by looking at what schemes were being unveiled in their fellow African countries – the Kenyan government recently announced they were looking at a similar proposal to maximise their blossoming coffee sector – such as Ethiopia, Uganda and Burundi.

Kayonga wasn’t the only high-ranking official to be present at the event held in the Rwandan capital of Kigali. Dr Celestin Gatarayiha, the NAEB’s Head of the Coffee, also spoke to add his weight to the project.

“The main emerging issues to be addressed in the policy will include climate change which has implications on changing production patterns and increasing incidents of pests and diseases,” Gatarayiha added.

The last time Rwanda adopted a coffee policy was back in 1998 and it’s rather obvious to say their domestic situation has changed immeasurably in the intervening years. For example, the coffee washing sector has expanded rapidly: From playing host to just a handful of washing stations in fifteen years ago, Rwanda now has well over two-hundred.

Richard Newfarmer discussed the potential growth that this new policy could bring about, mentioning about a potential boost to the economy if everything went according to plan.

“Forty percent of Rwandan coffee washed today could easily double indicating a ten to twenty percent increase in revenue collected from coffee exports,” he said.

For that to happen, the implementation of this proposed policy would have to go smoothly. Aiming to improve the delivery systems, increase support to coffee farmers and add value to the entire supply chain certainly won’t be an easy task.