Burundi coffee revenues tumble

BBC News, Friday 23 April 1999

Burundian officials have reported a sharp reduction in revenues from coffee, the country's main export earner.

The state-run coffee agency said the latest coffee season had brought in only thirty million dollars, down from fifty-five million the previous year.

Officials have blamed bad weather for a poor crop.

Correspondents say coffee production in Burundi has decreased steadily over the past five years as a result of the civil war, during which large numbers of farmers have been killed or displaced.