Burundi’s Agriculture Minister Prosper Dodico has promised that coffee stocks will soon be sold at international market prices. During a visit to coffee growers in Karusi Province on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, Dodico explained that the delay in selling coffee was due to ongoing market analysis.
“An auction sale was recently held, with some participants offering up to $6 per kilogram,” Dodico said. “However, we are still monitoring the international coffee market. We will not accept $3 per kilogram again.”
The delay follows a series of sector reforms prompted by concerns from Burundian coffee growers, who have struggled to earn sufficient profits, particularly as food prices continue to rise. Last year, the government paid farmers between 1,100 and 1,300 Burundian francs (BIF) per kilogram of coffee, while the price of beans on the open market ranged from 3,500 to 7,000 BIF per kilogram. This price gap led some growers to uproot their coffee trees and replace them with food crops, which provided more immediate financial benefits.
Coffee remains Burundi’s second-largest foreign currency earner, after tea, although the mineral sector is still unstable, with hopes for revitalization. Tea growers have faced similar challenges, with the price of tea leaves failing to keep pace with inflation and rising living costs. While government officials continue to urge growers to increase production, associations of both coffee and tea farmers have repeatedly called for price revisions to incentivize continued cultivation.
