The World Coffee Producers Forum (WCPF) which concluded in Kigali on Tuesday, February 14, recommended research on climate-resilient varieties.

The recommendation which is part of Kigali Declaration was made considering that climate change is affecting the livelihoods of coffee farmers who are becoming even more vulnerable and impacting the quality and quantity of coffee produced.

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The declaration calls for International environmental regulations that include the entire coffee value chain.

The forum also recommended knowledge transfer and capacity building on good agricultural practices as well as considering coffee tree cultivation as afforestation and carbon credit inclusive.

The forum concluded that coffee producers’ income is not enough and that "The cost of production is not always covered and paying farmers below the cost of production is an injustice.

The cost of production is increasing due to the price of inputs and additional requirements of industry like certification, and transition to regenerative agriculture among others.”

Call for fair prices

"Farmers should be compensated by good prices and also for their efforts to increase productivity leading to the improvement of income generation, thus contributing to prosperity,” said the Kigali declaration.

Agnes Nyinawumuntu, the president of Twongerumusaruro cooperative said: "The cost of coffee production is not reflected in the coffee price. Coffee producers should be included in defining the price for their produce. We need more opportunities to learn from other countries that are ahead of us in the industry.”

Roberto Velez Vallejo, the CEO Colombian Coffee Growers Federation said: "For producers what is key is the price of our product. That is why we cannot stop to say that we need a price for a prosperous coffee farming family.”

He noted that the coffee industry generates over $200 billion around the world.

However, he said: "Out of that coffee producers, we do get 20 percent,’ calling for a price that is fair for coffee producers.

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The CEO of the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB), Claude Bizimana said: "we have discussed different topics that seek ways to address the challenges that limit the coffee sector’s development.

We were very privileged to have groups of experts in the coffee sector from different continents sharing with us the practices that need to be implemented to address issues related to improving coffee growers' living income, climate change, and environmental regulations.”