In the 2023/2024 fiscal year alone, agricultural exports generated $839.2 million (around Frw1.1 trillion), a slight decrease from the previous year's $857.2 million (approximately Frw1.2 trillion).
The export volume for this period included 261.6 million kilograms of vegetables, fruits, and flowers, contributing $233.6 million (over Frw317 billion) to the economy.
Across the five years, Rwanda exported 170.8 million kilograms of vegetables, 86.4 million kilograms of fruits, and 4.3 million kilograms of flowers, earning $128.5 million, $79.5 million, and $25.4 million, respectively, from each category.
Air transportation advancements have significantly boosted export capacity. For example, in 2023, RwandAir cargo flights transported 4,595 tons of goods to major markets in Dubai, the UK, and Belgium.
The Rwandan government has prioritized agricultural development as a key component of its National Strategy for Transformation (NST2), targeting a 6% annual growth in the sector.
Efforts focus on increasing market-driven production, expanding irrigated land to 85%, and promoting the use of fertilizers and high-quality seeds to boost output by more than 50%.
These goals are in line with Rwanda's Fifth Strategic Plan for Agricultural Transformation (PSTA5), backed by a $5.4 billion budget (over Frw7 trillion), which seeks to modernize the sector and drive self-sufficiency while turning farming into a business-oriented activity.
NAEB CEO Claude Bizimana underscored this goal during an event where exporters were provided with nine refrigerated trucks worth over Frw829 million to maintain the quality of perishable goods during transport.
At the event, Marie Ange Claudine Ingabire, Managing Director of Tropi Wanda, an agricultural export company, also received a cold truck.
Since 2020, her business has expanded from 8 employees to a team of 321, along with 2,000 contracted farmers. Tropi Wanda now exports 82 tons of vegetables and fruits weekly, including chili peppers, passion fruits, and avocados.
Ingabire highlighted the company's efforts to 'establish markets, develop cold storage to reduce losses, and utilize cargo planes for timely exports.' She expressed her commitment to boosting production to meet NST2 targets without interruptions.
The Rwandan government has set an ambitious goal to double exports across sectors from $3.5 billion to $7.3 billion over the next five years.
Under PSTA5, agricultural exports alone are projected to grow from $857 million in 2022/2023 to nearly $2 billion, while creating 644,000 jobs in the agriculture value chain, up from the current 400,000.
IGIHE
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/rwanda-s-agricultural-exports-reach-3-2-billion-over-five-years
