THE RWANDAN COFFEE SECTOR: OUT OF THE ORDINARY Andrea Guariso Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance (LICOS) University of Leuven
[email protected] Jean Chrysostome Ngabitsinze Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness National University of Rwanda,
[email protected] Marijke Verpoorten Institute for Development Policy and Management (IOB) University of Antwerp
[email protected] Abstract This paper studies the transformation of the Rwandan coffee sector from a supplier of ordinary coffee to a player on the market for specialty coffee. While this transformation is widely perceived as a success story, we show that it is far from complete. Although coffee washing stations have multiplied at an impressive rate, many stations are dysfunctional and only a small portion of the fully washed coffee qualifies as specialty coffee. We argue that the quality gap can only be closed through a sustained effort in improving coffee washing station management and providing farmers with positive incentives to improve coffee farm practices. This article is published in L’Afrique des grands lacs. Annuaire 2011-2012 (URL: http://www.ua.ac.be/main.aspx?c=.IOB&n=101946 ) The printed publication contained an error in the list of authors. The correct citation for this article is as follows: Guariso, A., Ngabitsinze, C. J., Verpoorten, M. (2012) “The Rwandan Coffee Sector: out of the Ordinary”, in: Reyntjens F., Vandeginste S., et Verpoorten M. (eds.) (2012) L’Afrique des grands lacs. Annuaire 2011- 2012 , Paris, L’Harmattan: 397-426. THE RWANDAN COFFEE SECTOR: OUT OF THE ORDINARY by Andrea Guariso, Jean Ngabitsinze and Marijke Verpoorten 1 Résumé Le présent article étudie la transformation du secteur caf ėicole rwandais d’ancien fournisseur de café ordinaire en compétiteur sur le marché du café de spécialité.