NEWS & POLITICS
Coffee production in the DRC continues to decline amid conflict
In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), coffee production is struggling to survive as ongoing conflict in the eastern region that has killed thousands and displaced many farming households.
Staff Writer 
The once thriving industry produced an annual average of 100,000 metric tonnes in the 1980s, according to United Nations data.
But decades of fighting between government forces and M23 rebels in the region has been catastrophic, disrupting agricultural activity and trade, including coffee.
The rebels have taken control of some administrative areas, blocking crucial routes in both South Kivu and North Kivu. Some of the coffee plantations are in a poor state, with trees reportedly falling, while the beans are wrinkled. Arabica coffee, which is widely grown in both regions, has suffered the hardest blow, though the DRC also cultivates Robusta coffee.
Production collapsed in the 1990s as the Rwandan genocide conflict spilled into the neighboring DRC. Despite this, output has been gradually recovering in the past decade, reaching about 62,000 metric tonnes in 2023.
Despite a government launched recovery program in the 2010s, with budgetary provisions of around $100 million and support for Robusta, the industry is still lagging in terms of quality control, farmer education, and a low number of investors.
