Democratic Republic of the Congo

Rich Reserves - What about Coffee?

The country had rich reserves of gold, of copper and (even more importantly going forward) of cobalt, which is used in almost all technology we use today. However, following Mobutu’s demise, in 1997, until 2003, the DRC suffered civil war after civil war. This period claimed up to six million lives (through conflict, disease, and malnutrition). It also left many – perhaps millions – displaced. Some of the worst affected regions are and were to the east of the country (which was also hit by its western neighbour, Rwanda’s, crisis around the same time). These are the prime coffee growing regions of the country.

In the early 1980s, coffee was DRC’s second-largest export after copper. Mobuto had nationalised the industry in the 1970s, and production had grown steadily until the mid-‘90s. At that time the DRC was producing around 120,000 tonnes a year, and DRC was a significant global producer (though mainly of Robusta). The importance of the crop is hard to overemphasise. Whereas copper and other mineral and ore exports were mainly funnelled into the pockets of mine owners, at least some of the profits from coffee stayed within small-holder families.

The DRC coffee sector was poised to thrive.

Bright Future

Beginning in the 2010s, cooperatives began to set up, some funded by NGOs and state development agencies and others bolstered by Fairtrade and other certified networks. These factors and international attention on the situation have enabled DRC coffee to make a name for itself. Challenges are rife. The country has no agricultural bank, so private or NGO lending is the only option for crucial preharvest financing. Root Capital has been able to provide credit to many of the new cooperatives, enabling them to invest in much needed infrastructure and operations. More recently, private endeavours have taken off, offering services to an increasingly wide array of producers.

Beginning in 2012, the DRC government launched the Strategy Document for the Recovery of the Coffee Sector 2011–2015. This landmark programme for coffee sector recovery set aside US $100 million for investment in the sector. One of the key areas identified for redevelopment and recovery was South Kivu province: an area environmentally optimal for high quality Arabica production.

The private sector also saw opportunity and began lobbying for looser regulations and, generally, market liberalisation. Implemented reforms included caps on export taxes, policy reviews and an effort to align public/private interests. Many positive joint efforts have taken place, including market access, renovation of crops and infrastructure, and measures to counter smuggling.

These efforts seem to have paid off. According to Twin Trading, the 2015 /16 harvest saw 11,000 MT exported, up from 8,742 in 2010. In 2011, there were only seven washing stations in the country. As of 2018, there are over 100. In 2020, coffee represented roughly 0.12% of the country’s exports, valuing in at $23.3 million.

Still, DRC suffers many challenges. Smuggling is still rife, and prices are still low. Much DRC coffee is still smuggled into Rwanda or even Uganda and is sold as the product of those countries. Violence is erratic. Credit is hard to ensure. Bureaucracy and corruption often mean that coffee can take months to reach Mombassa or Dar es Salaam before being loaded and shipped to a consuming country. And to top it off, as of 2019, areas around Lake Kivu are experiencing the devastating effects of a prolonged Ebola outbreak.

The DRC is a challenging origin, with so much of the wealth focused on copper exports and little support given to coffee, times are lightening, and we are beginning to see some exceptional coffees coming from the DRC.