Poor Farmer

Rwanda’s State Minister in the Ministry of Commerce Trade and Industry, Vicent Karega. Photo: Courtesy of The Independent By Magnus Mazimpaka The Independent July 16, 2008 Our Correspondent in Kigali, Magnus Mazimpaka spoke to Rwanda’s State Minister in the Ministry of Commerce Trade and Industry, Vicent Karega, about the current situation of the Rwandan coffee and its potential, both on the regional and international market. Below are the excerpts. Rwanda is one of the African countries struggling to overcome poverty. It is also trying to rebuild an economy brought to its knees by the 1994 genocide. The Rwandan economy is primarily defined by agriculture on progressively partitioned farms for both commercial and subsistence production. Last year, agriculture accounted for 36.2 percent of Rwanda’s GDP and 40 percent of exports. Coffee is the main export and the primary cash crop of Rwanda. In 1990, Rwanda exported close to 45,000 tons of coffee per year, but this number fell to approxi...

CIB Registers Coffee Logos and Trademarks in 20 Countries Jamaica Information Service Government of Jamaica Ministry of Agriculture July 12, 2008 The Coffee Industry Board (CIB) is reporting that it has registered the Jamaica Blue Mountain and Jamaica High Mountain logos and trademarks in more than 20 countries worldwide. This is part of the CIB's strategy to protect the brand on the local and international markets. Speaking at a JIS 'Think Tank' recently, Director General of the CIB, Christopher Gentles noted that the trademarks would become the standard for all coffee produced and sold by licensed roasters and dealers in Jamaican coffee. He said that millions of dollars have been spent so far by both the CIB and its stakeholders as a part of this process. In addition, as part of the recently completed strategic review, the CIB is renewing its licensing regime to ensure that all roasters and traders of Jamaican coffee satisfy the requirements of the CIB, which is the entit...