Congo Coffee Growing Region News: Congo Volcanic Eruption Causes Evacuation of Coffee Growing Areas

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You might not be familiar with the Democratic Republic of Congo as a coffee-producing country. Coffee from this region is characterized by high body, dark berry notes, with hints of citrus and spice flavors. However, the DRC has recently gained attention for an unexpected reason.

On May 22, the Nyiragongo volcano, located near Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo, erupted. Major coffee-growing areas in the country were evacuated, forcing thousands of people to flee the region.

As the risk of a second volcanic eruption increased, more affected residents were forced to evacuate to surrounding villages or cross the eastern border into Rwanda seeking refuge.

Meanwhile, supporters of the DRC Coffee Revitalization Program are mobilizing all resources to support displaced residents and local coffee growers. The volcanic eruption has caused at least 31 deaths, left dozens missing, and displaced over 200,000 people.

What Happened

The Nyiragongo volcano is one of the world's most dangerous active volcanoes. This volcano suddenly erupted without warning on May 22. The lava flow from the volcano moved toward the city, causing a large-scale evacuation of 2 million residents (officially estimated at 670,000) and destroying at least 17 villages. The DRC faced compounded disasters, as Reuters reported on May 26 that in addition to the volcanic eruption, a magnitude 5.3 earthquake also occurred along the border with Rwanda.

However, the worst was yet to come. Local officials ordered continued evacuations on May 27 to prevent another eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano. From all perspectives, this event is catastrophic, as the methane gas produced by the volcanic eruption can cause suffocation.

Coffee Community Affected

This long-overlooked region is now facing a greater humanitarian crisis. Although coffee has gradually become an important economic crop in the DRC, the region's coffee communities continue to face such challenges.

The country's senior technical advisor stated that Goma is where most of the eastern DRC's coffee processing capacity is located. There are thousands of coffee producers here who depend on the commercial center, with farms spanning north and south of Kivu. However, the main transportation artery has been cut off by lava flows, greatly troubling many traders. Multi-stakeholder groups are working to clear the blockages—specifically, to repair roads north of Goma that have become impassable due to lava flows.

A coffee importer noted that while the company's staff in the DRC have been safely evacuated from the affected areas, the long-term damage to coffee dry processing facilities and many staff residences cannot be estimated.

Today, a non-profit organization focused on the DRC is doing everything possible to assist the affected residents in the region.

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