Boosting Competitiveness in Burundi’s Tea Sector
A training programme aimed at enhancing operational and management competitiveness in Burundi’s tea sector was held in Bujumbura.
41 participants, including 5 women, attended the training designed to strengthen both strategic and technical capacities across tea production units. It delivered in two main parts:
Part 1: Top & Senior Management Training
This session was focused on developing the leadership skills required to run a sustainable tea business.
Key areas of focus included:
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Sustainable tea business; enablers of success
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Competitive landscape,
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Know tea better – from global, region and buyers’ perspective,
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Assessment of tea quality/goodness and marketing/auction,
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Global and regional tea statistics,
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Speciality tea; what/why/opportunities
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Running a viable/profitable tea business including production, processing, and post-processing
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Climate change and tea
Part 2: Technical Training for Production Staff
The second part of the programme catered to production staff and focused on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), quality control, and tea evaluation techniques. Topics covered in this session included:
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Agricultural practices that affect processing and quality,
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Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) in the tea processing,
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Machinery maintenance,
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Tea quality evaluation,
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Profitable tea business; efficiency and cost reduction,
The 3-day training also included practical learning experiences, such as a site visit to the OTB–Teza tea factory, where participants were able to observe real-world applications of best practices in tea production. Additionally, they participated in tea sensory training at the Lovimax factory, further enhancing their understanding of quality evaluation.
One participant expressed: “Our company will now be competitive at the same level as other dry tea production units internationally!”
These efforts are critical for enabling Burundi’s tea sector to compete effectively in global markets.