| Type of coffee: |
Arabica, Robusta |
| Volume (MTs 2008): |
25,500 |
| Growing areas: |
Country wide |
| Marketing system: |
Direct sale |
| Processing: |
Wet processing |
| Harvest season: |
March – June: Arabica
May – June: Robusta |
| Port of shipment: |
Mombasa, Dar-es-Salaam |
| Export destinations: |
Germany, Belgium, USA, France (Arabica),
Great Britain, Switzerland (Robusta) |
Known as the “Land of a Thousand Hills” or “Land
of
Gorillas in the Mist”, Rwanda is less than half the size
of Scotland, but with three million more inhabitants.
It’s tucked deep within the heart of Africa, over 1,500
kilometres away from the nearest sea port.
Into this tiny frame it packs mountains, volcanoes, rivers,
lakes, marshes, savannah and forests, including Nyungwe,
the largest remaining single tract of montane forest in East
and Central Africa.
Within a single day’s driving, the wildlife of Rwanda
switches from savannah to mountain and forest species.
The thickly forested slopes are one of the last remaining
sanctuaries of the mountain gorillas and the plains of
Akagera National Park are home to giraffe, buffalo and
elephant.
The population density in Rwanda is very high and as a
result much of the country is cultivated, and the terraced
hillsides have been compared to those in Nepal or the
Phillipines.
Like many other countries in the region, Rwanda’s
economy is largely agriculturally based, dominated by
coffee which accounts for 75% of export income. Other
principal food crops include plantain, , sweet potato,
beans, cassava, sorghum and maize.
|
