Challenges in the Tea Industry in Burundi: Upgrading and Sustainability Policies

Annotation: Since its introduction in Burundi in 1963, the tea bush has been a strategic cash crop
for the country in terms of foreign exchange export earnings. Tea sector is one of the main
employment sectors, providing regular income to more than 60,000 farmers. This article develops
the different challenges identified in the tea sector and discusses the upgrading measures to meet
demand and maintain its sustainability. The study is based on interviews with the managers
of the Burundi Tea Board (OTB), factory managers, 120 tea farmers and secondary data especially
experiences from countries that produce and sell tea on international markets. As an integral part
of the Global Value Chain (GVC), the results showed that the tea sector faces multiple challenges
that could jeopardize its sustainability and competitiveness. Internationally, price volatility is
a challenge for Burundian tea given its low production and buyers (price-makers) are more rigorous
in terms of quality and certification standards. Upstream, several challenges are worth mentioning:
labour shortages, scarcity of land for expansion, high production and transaction costs, old tea
bushes, low application of fertilizers, etc. In order to increase productivity, the country needs
to replace old tea bushes with high yield varieties and strengthen the training of extension workers
and tea growers. To reduce production costs, government should invest in infrastructure and other
energy sources must be harnessed. In addition, diversification of supply and systematic adaptation
to certification standards are needed to meet demand.