A report by Rwanda Coffee Authority has revealed that last year’s national production of coffee has declined by 14 percent compared to the previous year.

The report states that 16,000 tones of coffee worth $37m were produced compared to 21,000 tones worth $47m produced in 2008.

Despite the significant drop in production, the report says that coffee from Rwanda was sold on the international market at a relatively higher price compared to the previous year.

The price of fully washed coffee increased from $3.4 to 3.77 while that of ordinary coffee increased to $2.41 from $2.2

It also emerged that the Western region was best producer with almost half of the country’s total produce and eight farmers’ associations winning prizes out of the 24 that were rewarded countrywide.

Speaking to The New Times, Eng. Protais Kakizimana the supervisor and representative of Rwanda coffee regulatory authority (OCIR Café) in the western region said that demand driven factors are mainly attributed to the variations in the prices of the product.

"It is necessary to appreciate the fact that unlike other crops, coffee is a seasonal crop and as such variations within different seasons give forth to different pricing patterns,” he said.

Kakizimana however stressed that it is important to embrace best practise for the purposes of boosting yields in the future.

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