The Rwanda Coffee Development Authority (Ocir-café) is to distribute 40 million coffee seedlings to coffee farmers next. 

This is more than the 30 million coffee trees given out last year. 

The countrywide campaign is to increase acreage of fast growing, high-yielding and disease resistant varieties that will boost coffee production in the country.

Alex Kanyakole, the Director General of Ocir café, explained that the increase in coffee production will subsequently bring about an increase in foreign exchange earnings.

The high coffee returns are crucial for the economy of Rwanda that is seeking to cut down high poverty levels among its 10 million people.

Coffee is the second foreign exchange earners. Last year, $35.7 million (Frw19.4 billion) was earned from the sector.

Tourism, the leading foreign exchange earner brought in $42.3 million (Frw23.1 billion).

Kanyakole said, with the new coffee seedlings, farmers can harvest seven kilogrammes per tree—during a single harvest.

"The distribution of coffee seedlings will also attract more farmers into coffee growing,” Kanyakole said.

With the help of the Institute of Agriculture and Scientific Research (ISAR) among other coffee developmental partners, the trees have been tested and proved adaptive to the country’s climate and soils.

Giving an example, Kanyakole said that in the Western province where the variety  was piloted  some coffee trees yield up to 20 kilgrammes per harvest while other trees yield about five kilogrammes.

"But this depends on a number of reasons such as soil texture and fertility, weather and climatic conditions,” he explained.

With over 500,000 farmers, with an average of 200 coffee trees each, Rwanda is believed to be the 9th largest producer of Arabica in Africa.

Though a small producer, Rwanda is an emerging grower of specialty coffee, having one of the world’s top grades.

This year, 25,000 tonnes of coffee are expected to be produced, representing a 79 percentage increase to last years output.

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