Déo Guide Rurema, Minister of Environment, Agriculture and Livestock has said the 2020/2021 coffee season is very promising. “We expect to collect 136,792 tons of coffee. A good quality coffee will cost BIF 500 per kg while the poor quality will be sold BIF at 250 per kg”, says the Minister adding that the government collected 47,845.6 tons in the last coffee season out of 75,928.6 tons expected. “We exported 7,511.5 tons including 6,254.2 tons sold for USD 15,211,142”, says Mr. Rurema.
Déo Guide Rurema: « The Burundian government is ready to promote and develop the coffee sector without the support of the private sector”
The coffee sector also generated more than USD five million into the public treasury. In addition, says the Minister, all coffee farmers have been paid except that few companies couldn’t pay them.
Déo Guide Rurema has also indicated that the government is very committed to promoting and developing the coffee sector. A Coffee Development Authority-ODECA has been created to follow closely and promote the coffee sector. “Private companies failed to do it and sanctions have been taken as they failed to pay their employees,” he says.
The Minister goes on to say that banks didn’t even trust those companies by granting loans. “The government was required to pay more than BIF 41 billion to compensate the gaps in the two previous coffee seasons”, angrily says the minister.
Mr. Rurema exhorts those companies to comply with the law. Otherwise, he says sanctions will be taken. “The Burundian government is ready to promote and develop the coffee sector without the support of the private sector”, he reassures.
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