Rwanda Coffee Farmers Federation (RCCF) has secured Rwf60 million in funding for adopt internationally accepted coffee packaging bags that will enable them to leverage coffee export on global markets. The move according to the federation will among other things ensure the supply of safe products to local, regional and international markets. The fund is part of efforts to sustain the sector by a coffee promotion project spearheaded by the National Agriculture Export Development Board (NAEB) in partnership with Project for Rural Income through Exports (PRICE). According RFCC the coffee sacks distribution program is expected to benefit 18,700 farmers grouped in 86 coffee farmer’s cooperatives in 14 districts. Theopista Nyiramahoro, the Chairperson of RCCF told The New Times that the coffee bags are part of a sustainable plan that will enable farmers to expand their coffee export market as the PRICE project closes its activities at the end of the year. Rwandan coffee chowcased at Rwanda Trading Company at Kigali Special Economic Zone (Sam Ngendahimana) “We have already ordered for the sacks from Bangladesh which will arrive by December, so that we can embark on distribution,” She said. The development, could also boost the country’s efforts to increase coffee production from the current 267, 000 to 420,000 bags per year. Among the key drivers of Rwanda’s coffee exports is the Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP) that was launched in 2018, opening doors for small businesses in Africa to take part in cross-border electronic trade. As a result several brands of Rwandan single-origin coffee are already available for sale on this platform. Workers of Rwanda Trading Company the first local coffee exporter ,captured here during their activites in the factory at Kigali Special Economic Zone (Sam Ngendahimana) On the other hand, NAEB earlier this tear announced that the country will next year in July, host the third World Coffee Producers Forum that will bring together 1,500 people from over 40 coffee-producing countries. According to the announcement, Coffee farmers and processors from across the world will meet in the country to assess the challenges in the coffee value chain.
