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Coffee production in the Democratic Republic of Congo has recently made a strong comeback after decades of decline. But farmers fear that a new outbreak of violence will jeopardize the industry’s restoration efforts.
Coffee production in the DRC at one point topped 120,000 tons per year. But production collapsed in the 1990s due to a civil war that has continued in some form to this day. In 2010, production was less than 10% what it had been before the war.
Over the last decade, cooperatives and other organizations worked hard to restore production, and international buyers began to take notice. Their efforts paid off: The Best of Congo green coffee competition and auction debuted in 2024, resulting in a record price for a Congolese coffee. The second edition of the competition, which took place this past August, saw multiple coffees score above 88 points.
But now, farmers in the eastern highlands are concerned about their harvests after fighting escalated between government forces and Rwanda-backed rebels in the region. Hundreds have been killed and thousands displaced, including farmers. The fighting has also blocked export routes.
This year’s harvest was good, François Kambale Nzanzu, South Kivu’s agricultural director, told Reuters. But he also says it has been hard to find buyers because of the conflict. “We had a lot of coffee, but there weren’t many exporters this year,” he said.
For some farmers, the instability has been ruinous. Mudekereza Kashugushu Celestin told Reuters that he used to earn $300 a year from his crop, but this year he has only received $50, which has made it difficult to support his family. “There’s nothing left of the coffee I had,” he said. “Even those that remain are already rotten and dry.”
Read more on the plight of Congo’s coffee farmers via Reuters here.
Photo by Chalo Garcia on Unsplash.
