BUJUMBURA August 17th (ABP) – The office of the governor of Bujumbura (western Burundi) in collaboration with the services of the provincial directorate for the environment, agriculture and livestock and the Coffee Development Authority (ODECA), launched, on Monday, August 14, 2023, the coffee pruning and mulching campaign, in a field of coffee trees located on Mayemba hill, in Nyabiraba commune, a check on the site by ABP has revealed.
After a pruning and mulching demonstration to the people, the governor of that province, Désiré Nsengiyumva, urged communal agronomists and agricultural monitors to continue this activity in the communes and hills, in order to increase production. He asked people to increase the sowing for this crop which provides foreign currency to the country.
In the presence of the governor who honored the activity with his presence, a coffee grower indicated that people no longer devote themselves to growing coffee because the price per kilogram of cherries remains low and young people prefer to grow amaranths, maize and beans to the detriment of coffee, considering that their price per kg exceeds that of coffee.
A woman coffee grower did not mince her words by saying that 1280 BIF per kg of cherry coffee is very little considering the maintenance work required by this crop, and picking, which are very expensive. For her, it is unthinkable that the price of coffee is lower than that of maize, beans or even amaranths, when coffee is known as an export crop.