Gicumbi coffee farmers urged to improve quality

Gicumbi—coffee farmers were, yesterday, urged to improve on the quality of coffee they produce so as to attract more marketS.The call was made by the Northern Province coffee coordinator, Deogene Niyonzima, during the district’S coffee task force meeting that brought together coffee farmers in Gicumbi.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Coffee ripe (File Photo)

Gicumbi—coffee farmers were, yesterday, urged to improve on the quality of coffee they produce so as to attract more marketS.

The call was made by the Northern Province coffee coordinator, Deogene Niyonzima, during the district’S coffee task force meeting that brought together coffee farmers in Gicumbi.

The meeting aimed to discuss the  2011 season and how to improve on product quality.

Niyonzima said Gicumbi coffee farmers have the capacity to produce the best coffee in the country if they utilise the more favourable land the district has and put into practice what they are taught.Gicumba has 655 hectares of land for coffee with  over 1.6 million  coffee trees.

Niyozima also advised  farmers who sell their produce directly without necessarily going through middlemen.

"It is understood that some farmers trade with neighbours illegally and this reduces the value of our coffee as a country,” he said.

"All coffee productions should first go through our local factories;  so we export more value and quality. In doing so, the quality of our coffee will be maintained,” Niyonzima added.

Gakenke and Rulindo districts are the leading coffee producers in the Northern Province.

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