Office National de la Tourbe

Office National de la Tourbe, generally abbreviated as ONATOUR, is Burundi’s publicly owned enterprise responsible for mining, processing, promoting, and marketing peat and peat derivatives. It was established by government decree on 21 March 1977 and remains the country’s only identified peat producer. Its mandate has connected energy supply, industrial production, agricultural applications, and forest conservation: peat has been developed as a locally available fuel intended to reduce dependence on firewood and charcoal, while research has also examined peat-based fertilizers and improved briquette products. Burundi has substantial peat resources. Estimates cited for 2018 placed total reserves at approximately 150 million tonnes, with about 57 million tonnes considered potentially profitable to exploit. ONATOUR has operated in several peatlands and mining areas, including Gitanga, Gisozi, Buyongwe, and Matana; other peat swamps associated with the country’s peat resources include Ndurumu, Nyavyamo, and Nyamuswaga. By 2021, the enterprise was exploiting five sites. Mining is seasonal because the marshes must be drained and channeled before heavy machinery can operate. Production is therefore concentrated in the dry season, generally from July through September. The company also plans output according to demand because mined peat deteriorates gradually when stored for long periods. ONATOUR’s principal product is raw peat used as a solid fuel, with peat briquettes forming an additional processed product. The enterprise has had the technical capacity to produce roughly 20,000 to 30,000 tonnes annually, although actual production has often been lower. Reported annual output varied considerably: production reached 20,000 tonnes in 1999, while later figures included 9,764 tonnes in 2009–2010, 13,111 tonnes in 2010–2011, 7,942 tonnes in 2011–2012, 20,335 tonnes in 2012–2013, and 19,256 tonnes in 2013–2014. Output subsequently rose from 3,967 tonnes in 2015 to 18,330 tonnes in 2019, before fluctuating at 11,800 tonnes in 2018–2019, 15,248 tonnes in 2019–2020, 9,111 tonnes in 2020–2021, and 12,955 tonnes in 2021–2022. Demand has historically been concentrated among public and institutional users. The Burundian military became ONATOUR’s principal customer after the civil war, partly because military facilities faced difficulty securing sufficient firewood. Other customers have included the national police, BUCECO, FOMI, and other companies. Universities, prisons, and boarding schools formerly subscribed, but supply problems led some of them to cancel their arrangements. In 2016, the Ministry of National Defense and Veterans Affairs was reported to be ONATOUR’s only customer and had significant overdue obligations to the enterprise. The company sought to regain institutional and commercial customers by improving fuel quality, expanding transport capacity, and developing new processing equipment. Natural peat produces smoke when burned and is unsuitable for indoor cooking in its unprocessed form. ONATOUR therefore explored briquetting and carbonization technologies. It had produced approximately one hundred tonnes of peat briquettes, and a study completed in December 2021 examined carbonized briquettes designed to burn without smoke. The intended market was households seeking an affordable alternative to charcoal. If commercialized at scale, such briquettes could support Burundi’s energy supply while helping reduce pressure on forests. ONATOUR has also investigated converting peat into a coal-like fuel and producing peat-based fertilizers, although the available material does not establish the current commercial status of those initiatives. The enterprise has faced operational constraints, including fuel-oil and spare-parts shortages in the late 1990s, broken distribution trucks, demand volatility, customer arrears, and the disruption caused by Burundi’s civil war. In 2014 it reportedly added four machines to an existing fleet of six and installed a 20 MW peat-powered plant. By May 2024, Burundi’s finance minister cited ONATOUR among public enterprises that had not paid dividends, although the report did not provide financial results or explain the company’s current profitability. ONATOUR’s present scale, ownership structure beyond its public status, management, and website are not established in the available reference material.

ONATOUR was created by decree on 21 March 1977 as Burundi’s national institution for promoting and marketing peat and peat derivatives for industry and agriculture. From 1978, USAID supported the development of Burundi’s peat sector. Early policy focused on supplying urban households and replacing charcoal, while a follow-up project approved in August 1980 emphasized conservation of shrinking forest reserves and the development of ONATOUR’s operating capacity. The organization later investigated uses beyond direct combustion. In 1988 it began a project to produce soil fertilizer by mixing peat with manure and selected chemicals. Comparable initiatives existed in other peat-producing countries, but Burundi’s project was interrupted by the civil war that began in October 1993. The conflict and subsequent operating difficulties affected production, and shortages of fuel oil and spare parts constrained output during 1997 and 1998. Production recovered to about 20,000 tonnes in 1999, then declined in 2000 and 2001 as the domestic market could absorb only around 12,000 tonnes annually. During the postwar period, military camps became the main source of demand. The military’s reliance on peat was linked to difficulty obtaining enough firewood. ONATOUR had also supplied universities, prisons, and boarding schools, but it was unable to meet some institutional orders in 2009, leading former customers to cancel subscriptions. Recorded production was 9,764 tonnes in 2009–2010, 13,111 tonnes in 2010–2011, 7,942 tonnes in 2011–2012, 20,335 tonnes in 2012–2013, and 19,256 tonnes in 2013–2014. The company’s operating capacity was expanded in the early 2010s. By 2014, four new machines had been added to six older machines, and a 20 MW power plant operated using peat. Distribution remained difficult because two of ONATOUR’s four trucks had broken down, forcing the company to hire private vehicles. Military demand later weakened: armed forces stopped ordering peat in 2013 without providing a stated reason. By 2016, the Ministry of National Defense and Veterans Affairs was reportedly ONATOUR’s sole customer and owed substantial overdue amounts. ONATOUR responded by seeking better fuel quality, additional trucks, a briquette-making machine, technology to convert peat into coal-like fuel, and renewed development of peat-based fertilizer. Production fluctuated significantly in the following years. Annual output rose from 3,967 tonnes in 2015 to 18,330 tonnes in 2019. Reported production was 11,800 tonnes in 2018–2019, 15,248 tonnes in 2019–2020, 9,111 tonnes in 2020–2021, and 12,955 tonnes in 2021–2022. In 2019, mine-level output included 7,529 tonnes from Gitanga, 4,247 tonnes from Gisozi, 3,466 tonnes from Buyongwe, and 3,088 tonnes from Matana. By 2022, FOMI and BUCECO were purchasing smaller quantities, while the military remained central to the market. Because untreated peat smokes during combustion, ONATOUR pursued carbonization and briquetting for household use. It had produced about one hundred tonnes of briquettes, and a study on carbonized peat briquettes was completed in December 2021. The planned product was intended to burn without smoke and serve as a lower-cost substitute for charcoal, potentially reducing deforestation. The available sources do not confirm whether the necessary manufacturing equipment was acquired or whether the product entered sustained commercial production. In May 2024, ONATOUR was named by Burundi’s finance minister among public enterprises that had not paid dividends. No reliable public information in the supplied material establishes its current management, detailed finances, or exact headquarters.

• 2024

  Dividend record discussed in the Senate

  [1]Office National de la Tourbeen.wikipedia.org

  Burundi’s finance minister listed ONATOUR among public enterprises that had not paid dividends.

• 2021

  Carbonized briquette research completed

  [1]Office National de la Tourbeen.wikipedia.org

  ONATOUR pursued smoke-free carbonized peat briquettes for household use, and a related production study was completed in December 2021.

• 2019

  Production reaches 18,330 tonnes

  [1]Office National de la Tourbeen.wikipedia.org

  Annual production was reported to have risen from 3,967 tonnes in 2015 to 18,330 tonnes in 2019, with output recorded at several named mines.

• 2016

  Defense ministry becomes reported sole customer

  [1]Office National de la Tourbeen.wikipedia.org

  The Ministry of National Defense and Veterans Affairs was reported as ONATOUR’s only customer and had substantial overdue debt. ONATOUR sought improved quality, logistics, and new processing equipment.

• 2014

  Mining and power capacity expanded

  [1]Office National de la Tourbeen.wikipedia.org

  The enterprise added four machines to six older units and installed a 20 MW peat-powered plant, although truck failures continued to hinder distribution.

• 1999

  Production reaches approximately 20,000 tonnes

  [1]Office National de la Tourbeen.wikipedia.org

  ONATOUR’s production increased to about 20,000 tonnes before falling in the following two years as domestic demand remained limited.

• 1993

  Civil war interrupts development work

  [1]Office National de la Tourbeen.wikipedia.org

  The outbreak of civil war in October interrupted the peat-based fertilizer initiative and affected the wider operating environment.

• 1988

  Peat fertilizer project initiated

  [1]Office National de la Tourbeen.wikipedia.org

  ONATOUR began investigating fertilizer made from peat combined with manure and chemicals. The project was later disrupted by civil war.

• 1980

  Forest-conservation peat program authorized

  [1]Office National de la Tourbeen.wikipedia.org

  A follow-up project was authorized to strengthen ONATOUR’s operating capacity and promote peat as an alternative to wood in response to forest depletion.

• 1978

  International development support begins

  [1]Office National de la Tourbeen.wikipedia.org

  USAID began supporting the development of Burundi’s peat business, including the objective of serving urban households and reducing charcoal use.

• 1977

  ONATOUR established by decree

  [1]Office National de la Tourbeen.wikipedia.org

  The Burundian state created the Office National de la Tourbe on 21 March 1977 to promote and market peat and peat derivatives for industrial and agricultural uses.

A Burundian state energy and resource enterprise positioned around domestic peat production, institutional fuel supply, and the development of alternatives to firewood and charcoal.

• Solid fuel

  Raw peat

  Mined peat is ONATOUR’s core product. It is supplied primarily as a solid fuel to institutional and industrial users, including defense-related facilities, the national police, BUCECO, FOMI, and other companies. Extraction is seasonal because peatlands must be drained and prepared for machinery. Untreated peat produces smoke when burned and is therefore unsuitable for indoor cooking.

• Processed solid fuel

  Peat briquettes

  ONATOUR has produced roughly one hundred tonnes of peat briquettes as a more compact and manageable form of fuel. The briquettes still produced some smoke in the reported development stage, so they were not yet a complete solution for indoor household cooking. Their intended role was to broaden peat use beyond bulk institutional supply.

• Household fuel · 2021

  Carbonized peat briquettes

  Carbonized peat briquettes were studied as an affordable alternative to charcoal. The process was intended to reduce or eliminate smoke and make peat more suitable for household use. A production study was completed in December 2021, but the available material does not confirm that manufacturing equipment was installed or that the product reached sustained commercial distribution.

• Agricultural input · 1988

  Peat-based fertilizer

  ONATOUR investigated fertilizer made by combining peat with manure and selected chemicals. The initiative began in 1988 and was interrupted by the civil war. Later references describe an agrihaute project involving peat-based fertilizers, but the supplied material does not establish a current product range or commercial launch.

• 2021Smoke-free carbonized briquette initiative

  Burundi

  ONATOUR developed and studied carbonized peat briquettes intended for household use as a lower-smoke and potentially lower-cost alternative to charcoal.

  Outcome. A production study was completed in December 2021, but the available source does not confirm full-scale commercialization.

  Source
• 1978Peat as an urban household fuel

  Burundi

  With USAID support, ONATOUR’s early development program prioritized urban householders and promoted peat as a substitute for charcoal.

  Outcome. The program established the forest-conservation and alternative-fuel rationale for ONATOUR, although later supply and product-quality constraints limited its reach.

  Source

• 2021

  Develop carbonized peat briquettesProduct launch

  Background

  Raw peat and conventional briquettes produced smoke, limiting their suitability for indoor household use.

  Action taken

  ONATOUR completed a study of carbonized peat-based briquettes intended to burn without smoke and replace charcoal.

  Aftermath

  The company planned to obtain manufacturing equipment. Commercial launch and production scale remain unconfirmed.

  Source

• 2016

  Pursue customer recovery and new processing technologiesStrategy

  Background

  The defense ministry was reported as ONATOUR’s only customer and had overdue debt, while former institutional buyers had withdrawn because of supply problems.

  Action taken

  ONATOUR sought to improve peat quality, add trucks, acquire briquette-making equipment, investigate peat-to-coal conversion, and revive peat-fertilizer development.

  Aftermath

  Later reports show purchases by FOMI and BUCECO in 2022, but do not establish whether all proposed projects were completed.

  Source

• 2014

  Expand mining equipment and peat-based power capacityStrategy

  Background

  ONATOUR needed to increase operating capacity while distribution was constrained by damaged trucks.

  Action taken

  The enterprise added four machines to six existing machines and installed a 20 MW power plant fueled by peat.

  Aftermath

  Production later remained volatile, and transport limitations continued to affect market access.

  Source

1. 1Office National de la Tourbeen.wikipedia.org