The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Burundian global shipments during 2020. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Burundi.

1. Coffee, tea, spices: US$52.4 million (32.3% of total exports)
2. Gems, precious metals: $45.9 million (28.3%)
3. Milling products, malt, starches: $9.5 million (5.9%)
4. Iron, steel: $9.1 million (5.6%)
5. Beverages, spirits, vinegar: $9.1 million (5.6%)
6. Ores, slag, ash: $9 million (5.5%)
7. Tobacco, manufactured substitutes: $6.9 million (4.2%)
8. Glass: $3.3 million (2%)
9. Plastics, plastic articles: $3.1 million (1.9%)
10. Mineral fuels including oil: $3 million (1.9%)

Burundi’s top 10 exports accounted for 93.3% of the overall value of its global shipments.

Plastics as materials plus items made from plastic was the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 528.3% from 2019 to 2020.

In second place for improving export sales was glass via a 169.2% gain.

Burundi’s shipments of iron or steel posted the third-fastest gain in value, up by 164%.

The leading decliner among Burundi’s top 10 export categories was mineral fuels including oil, thanks to a -36.7% drop year over year.

At the more granular four-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, gold represents Burundi’s most valuable exported product at 28.3% of the country’s total. In second place was coffee (19%) trailed by tea (13.3%), wheat or meslin flour (5.7%), cigars or cigarettes (4.2%), niobium and zirconium ores or concentrates (4%), plated or coated products made from flat-rolled or non-alloy steel (3.9%) then malt beer (2.9%).

The following types of Burundian product shipments represent positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports.

In a nutshell, net exports is the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.

1. Coffee, tea, spices: US$51.8 million (Down by -12.9% since 2019)
2. Gems, precious metals: $45.9 million (Down by -31.1%)
3. Ores, slag, ash: $9 million (Down by -31.9%)
4. Fruits, nuts: $1.1 million (Up by 159.1%)
5. Food industry waste, animal fodder: $1.1 million (Up by 6.6%)
6. Raw hides, skins not furskins, leather: $678,000 (Down by -31.4%)
7. Beverages, spirits, vinegar: $459,000 (Reversing a -$2.6 million deficit)
8. Tobacco, manufactured substitutes: $209,000 (Down by -61%)
9. Live trees, plants, cut flowers: $11,000 (Down by -50%)
10. Zinc: $5,000 (Reversing a -$1,000 deficit)

Burundi has highly positive net exports in the international trade of coffee, tea and gold. In turn, these cashflows indicate Burundi’s strong competitive advantages under the coffee, tea and spices as well as the gems and precious metals product categories.

Burundi incurred an overall -$746.8 million trade deficit for 2020, up by 5.7% from -$706.6 in red ink one year earlier.

Below are exports from Burundi that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country Burundi’s goods trail Burundian importer spending on foreign products.

1. Mineral fuels including oil: -US$139.7 million (Down by -12.8% since 2019)
2. Vehicles: -$86 million (Up by 10.4%)
3. Pharmaceuticals: -$64.5 million (Up by 3.2%)
4. Electrical machinery, equipment: -$59.7 million (Up by 57.9%)
5. Iron, steel: -$54.8 million (Up by 5%)
6. Machinery including computers: -$50.9 million (Up by 31.9%)
7. Cereals: -$40.7 million (Down by -22.7%)
8. Salt, sulphur, stone, cement: -$39.9 million (Down by -21.7%)
9. Fertilizers: -$34.3 million (Up by 24.6%)
10. Sugar, sugar confectionery: -$25.1 million (Up by 17.1%)

Burundi has highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits particularly for refined petroleum oils under the mineral fuels-related product category.

Burundian Export Companies

Not one Burundian corporation ranks among the Forbes Global 2000.

Wikipedia lists businesses from Burundi that participate in international trade transactions. Selected examples are shown below.

• Air Burundi (airliner)
• Brarudi (brewery)
• FinBank Burundi (commercial bank)
• Interbank Burundi (commercial bank)
• KCB Bank Burundi Limited (commercial bank)