(Ecofin Agency) - At the end of 2018, Rwanda expects to export 24,500 tons of coffee, up from the 23,000 tons last year. This was revealed yesterday July 2 by Celestin Gatarayiha, head of coffee division at the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB).

According to him, this increase in coffee shipment is motivated by various strategies aimed at boosting both output and quality. “In 2015, we carried out a census which showed that some old coffee trees aged 50 and 70 years need to be replaced because they are vulnerable to disease. Three years ago we created zones of coffee so that we work with coffee factories to prepare nurseries to get coffee seedlings and give them to farmers in the zones for planting,” Gatarayiha said.

He indicated that the goal is to grow 34,000 new coffee trees by 2024, so as to double output through proper application of fertilizers as well as integrated pest management.

For the record, Rwanda captured about $58.5 million from coffee export in 2016-17. The sub-sector employs around 400,000 farmers.

Espoir Olodo