A new contract is targeting the supply of 180,000 tonnes of Congolese dried chilli to China every year, creating a potentially important market for farmers and agricultural businesses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Ministry of Foreign Trade announced the agreement on Monday, July 27.

It was concluded between Chinese company Hunan Pengfei International Trade Co., Ltd, represented by Shixian Luo, and the Congolese International Chamber of Commerce of Christian Communities, represented by Paul Okitana Omambo.

The announcement also referred to Chinese demand for 50,000 tonnes of Congolese cocoa a year and estimated the combined chilli-and-cocoa market at more than $500 million annually.

But those figures have different meanings.

The 180,000-tonne figure is linked to the reported dried-chilli contract. The 50,000-tonne cocoa figure is presented as a market opportunity, not as part of the same signed contract. The $500 million is an official estimate of the potential value of both markets, not money already earned by Congolese farmers.

What has been confirmed?

The Congolese Press Agency and Radio Okapi both reported the conclusion of an annual supply contract for 180,000 tonnes of dried chilli.

The agreement follows the wider bilateral framework signed by the DRC and China on September 6, 2024, according to the ministry.

Foreign Trade Minister Julien Paluku called for the creation of a national federation of dried-chilli producers and exporters. He also asked for the country’s production areas to be mapped and for farmers to be organised into strong rural cooperatives.