Kinshasa: The coffee-growing heartlands of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, once hailed as a beacon of agricultural revival, are now under threat as fighting intensifies in North and South Kivu. Farmers who only recently regained stability and access to global markets say their hard-earned progress is unraveling with every passing week of conflict.
For the past decade, the region’s coffee sector had shown remarkable resilience. After years of stagnation brought on by the wars of the 1990s, cooperatives and smallholder farmers had begun to restore Congo’s reputation as a source of high-quality Arabica beans. By 2023, production had climbed to more than 62,000 metric tons, a figure that rekindled hopes of turning coffee into one of the nation’s leading exports. But today, those gains appear fragile as violence forces thousands to abandon their land.
The rebel movement known as M23, which Congo accuses Rwanda of backing, has advanced into prime agricultural zones, cutting off transport corridors and sowing insecurity. This has left coffee cherries rotting on trees and processing plants struggling to operate. Exporters, wary of the volatile situation, have reduced their presence, compounding the crisis for local growers. “The harvest was flowering well this year, but there are no buyers, no trucks, no way to move the beans,” said François Kambale Nzanzu, a senior official overseeing agricultural exports.
For many farmers, the setback is devastating. In the village of Muganzo, grower Mudekereza Kashugushu Celestin surveyed the withering remnants of his plantation. Just two years ago, he earned about $300 annually from his crop; this season, he expects barely $50. “Everything is ruined,” he lamented. “I cannot even pay my children’s school fees.” Such losses ripple beyond individual households, affecting entire communities that depend on the coffee trade for employment, education, and survival.
The timing of the disruption is particularly painful because international buyers had only just begun returning in larger numbers. Congolese coffee had found new visibility on specialty markets abroad, prized for its unique flavor profiles. Cooperatives like SOPACDI in South Kivu had expanded their reach, providing farmers with better training, equipment, and fairer prices. Now, with roads blocked and insecurity mounting, that fragile bridge to the global market risks collapse.
Economists warn that if the conflict drags on, it could erase more than a decade of painstaking recovery. The sector’s revival depended on stability, infrastructure, and investor confidence all of which are being eroded. International partners are also watching closely, wary that prolonged violence may discourage further aid or investment. “Without peace, coffee cannot grow,” one cooperative leader said bluntly.
The crisis carries wider implications beyond Congo. Disruptions in supply could reverberate in global markets, pushing up prices for specialty beans and reshaping sourcing strategies for international roasters. For Congo’s farmers, however, the concerns are far more immediate: food security, children’s education, and the survival of their way of life.
As conflict escalates, the future of Congolese coffee once again hangs in the balance caught between the promise of global recognition and the harsh reality of war.