Burundi is one of the few African countries that cultivates almost exclusively arabica, sometimes of the highest quality.
Coffee production was introduced in Burundi by the Arabs around 1930, and today it represents the primary agricultural resource of the country. In fact, coffee accounts for about one-third of the country’s total export income.
Arabica coffee is produced in the north, in the regions of Ngozi and Muyinga, and in the centre, in the regions of Ruyigi and Gutega. Robusta is grown in the Imbo plains and along Lake Tanganyika.
Arabica coffee plants are cultivated from 1,500 to 2,000 metres altitude. They flower in September/October, and they are harvested during the summer months. Exports begin in June, from the port of Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania.