Burundi’s agricultural investment policy is implemented through the Programme National d’Investissement Agricole (PNIA 2012-17). The PNIA has four core programmes: (i) sustainable production growth and food security, (ii) professionalization of producers and innovation promotion, (iii) value chain development and agro-business and (iv) institutional capacity-building. The PNIA update is underway but the process has been significantly slowed down since the beginning of the 2015 political crisis.

Agriculture-specific expenditures absorb a large chunk of Burundi’s public budget, and accounted for as much as 10 percent of total public expenditures on average for 2005-2015. These expenditures mainly focused on input subsidies and extension services for food crops. The agriculture budget heavily relies on donor contributions, which might be a constraint for sustainable sourcing of funds in the sector. Budget compositions have been poorly aligned with PNIA targets from 2012 onwards.

In terms of agricultural value chain development, market inefficiencies continue to be a burden for most farmers. Rice producers, for instance, often struggle to access affordable inputs and are constrained by the poor status of infrastructures. Rice production decreased during 2011-2014, reflecting operational and financial difficulties faced by the Société Régionale de Développement de l’Imbo (SRDI)’s, the main parastatal in the sub-sector. In the maize sector, producers have been protected at the expense of consumers during the last ten years. Maize is the largest cereal in Burundi in quantity terms, and a priority crop under the PNIA. Most of domestic consumption comes from domestic production. The presence of few importers coupled with poor price transmission from border to farm gate led producers to receive prices above the international equivalent. Limited imported quantities of maize allow domestic prices to remain high with respect to relatively cheaper imports. In spite of their importance for food security, few interventions targeted cassava and beans. These crops are mostly grown for own-consumption; marketed shares are small and value chains remain largely informal. More investments in storage facilities and feeder roads are necessary to improve commercialization and foster production of these commodities.

Coffee and tea production and trade have also been penalized overall. This appears in contrast with the main objectives outlined in the PNIA that aim at boosting both tea and coffee production at a 5 percent yearly rate during 2012-17. However, MAFAP results show that the policy and market environment does not incentivize tea and coffee farmers on the output price side. Reviewing minimum producer price setting mechanisms is necessary to ensure prices received by producers are more stable, equitable and in line with international market conditions.

Overall, public support to the agriculture sector in Burundi is significantly biased towards food crops as the Government aims to improve food security. MAFAP recommends to gear up support to agricultural research and infrastructures in the short run, and to broaden the commodity focus of the government strategies, for instance by revitalizing the production of coffee. In the medium run, improved marketing of agricultural commodities should be a priority so that agribusiness development and rural growth can be fast-tracked.

* Estimates of public expenditure for Burundi are provisional and cover only Ministry of Agriculture data. Updated and more comprehensive figures will be release in July 2018.

Download the report "Analysis of public expenditure in support of food and agriculture in Burundi 2006-2014". 

For additional information on the indicators shown in the graphs and the terminology used, please refer to MAFAP’s Glossary on Public Expenditure and Methodological Guidelines - Volume II - Public Expenditure. For detailed information on the data provided, please go to the MAFAP database.