Rwanda Tea Production, Consumption, Export and Added Value

Tea is an aromatic beverage commonly prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over the cured leaves of Camellia sinensis L. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the consumption, export and added value of tea produced in Rwanda. Although there is little documentation, the trade trends and drinking of Rwandan tea from a Rwandan cultural perspective, this paper used the few publications and websites available on the trends of Rwandan tea industry. In Rwanda, tea is planted on hillsides at high altitude and on well drained marshes. Rwanda is regularly confronted by prolonged droughts (resulting in famine; water sources drying; tendency toward desertification especially in the east and south) and heavy rains, which lead to a rise in the water level, floods, landslides, localized landslides, soil erosion on the basin sides and expansion of the river beds, thus affecting its agriculture production and infrastructure. The teas processed in Rwanda are mainly black tea (CTC), with green tea and orthodox tea being processed in small amounts. As in most places, the economic value of tea products attracts investment. However, there is still a lot to be done, including research and industrial expansion.