Musa Kombi walks the edge of his inherited family plantation in eastern Congo's Beni, mentally mapping where rows of coffee end and those of cocoa begin.
He used to grow arabica across two hectares. Now, just 0.8 hectares of coffee crop remain.
Cocoa is easier to tend to. It also sells faster. Musa doesn't talk about giving up; just adjusting.
In Beni, where cool mountain air and volcanic soil once made coffee the undisputed king of cash crops, farmers are abandoning arabica and robusta for cocoa.
The arithmetic driving their decision is that cocoa is less labour-intensive than growing coffee and commands higher prices in the long run.
So, is DRC turning its back on coffee despite demand increasing worldwide?
While figures vary, coffee remains a key export product, contributing significantly to the region's economy and supplying international markets, especially in Europe and beyond.
According to a recent report, DRC's coffee-rich eastern region still ships thousands of tonnes of beans annually, with robusta making up over 70% of the output.
What this data masks is a steady decline in the popularity of coffee as a cash crop in these parts. Large-scale displacement triggered by conflict has also impacted farm activities, causing DRC's coffee production to plummet almost 75% in 40 years.
In the late 1980s, DRC was estimated to produce between 120,000 and 130,000 metric tonnes of coffee annually.
Quality produce
Congo's organic advantage should have been its trump card. The country's high-altitude plantations, stretching from the mist-shrouded eastern mountains to the dense forests of Équateur province, have never known chemical fertilisers.
Farmers here grow coffee the way their ancestors did: with compost, patience and ample rainfall.
"We use wet processing methods passed down generations," Florent Meni, agricultural engineer at the Office National des Produits Agricoles du Congo (ONAPAC), tells TRT Afrika.
"After fermentation and roasting, only sugar and protein remain. This creates an aroma that international buyers pay a premium for."
But just as global coffee prices spike — robusta hit an all-time high of US$5,528 per tonne on November 28, 2024 — many Congolese coffee farmers seem to be walking away.
The good news is that DRC clocked $433 million worth of agricultural exports in 2024, with coffee still leading the pack.
But in villages across North Kivu and Ituri, the call of cocoa is now stronger.
"We have to abandon coffee cultivation if we are not ready to invest the necessary time in it. Coffee requires a lot of care. Coffee prices are less attractive compared to cocoa. So, we leave our coffee fields for cocoa, which is more profitable and in demand," says Desiré Malyamukono, a farmer at Mukasila in Ituri province.
Cash-crop dilemma
ONAPAC has launched awareness campaigns in major coffee-growing regions, distributing disease-resistant seedlings and organising training sessions on improved cultivation techniques.
"We tell farmers to think long-term," says Meni. "Coffee offers stability. It stores well and maintains consistent export demand. Cocoa prices swing wildly—what happens when the bubble bursts?"
But farmers struggling to feed their families aren't easily convinced. The price bulletin from Congo's ministry of foreign trade for the period July 21-26 tells the story. Arabica commands $5,610 per tonne and robusta $3,280, while cocoa fetches $3,500 from local buyers with purportedly less toil involved in its cultivation.
Twenty-four countries now import Congolese cocoa, with European chocolate makers leading demand.
Back in Beni, Musa has made his choice. Next season, he intends to add another quarter of a hectare to his expanding cocoa patch.
Turning away from the arabica trees his ancestors planted is tough, but he would rather invest where he believes his future lies.
