KIGALI, Nov. 11 (AGCNewsNet) - Rwanda is scaling up its efforts to reduce post-harvest losses and enhance agricultural exports with the deployment of refrigerated trucks, a move projected to contribute to $1.981 billion in agricultural exports by 2029, according to the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB).

Rwanda fell short of its $1 billion agricultural export target for the 2023/2024 fiscal year, generating $839.2 million. Over the past five years, the country exported 261,636,526 kilograms of vegetables, fruits, and flowers, earning $233.6 million. This included 86,459,793 kilograms of fruits worth $79.5 million, 170,842,040 kilograms of vegetables valued at $128.5 million, and 4,334,692 kilograms of flowers generating $25.4 million.

To address these challenges, nine private exporters recently acquired refrigerated trucks under the Feed the Future Rwanda Kungahara Wagura Amasoko project. The project subsidized 60% of the cost, enabling exporters to collectively purchase 14 refrigerated trucks to bolster cold chain logistics, reduce post-harvest losses, and enhance product competitiveness in global markets.

“Post-harvest losses have long hampered agricultural exports,” said Claude Bizimana, CEO of NAEB. “With these new facilities, we aim to strengthen cold chain infrastructure, provide capacity building, and establish market linkages to ensure produce reaches destinations in optimal condition.”

Marie Ange Claudine Ingabire, a horticultural exporter, noted the immediate benefits, saying she saved over Rwf1 million ($825) in 30 days for chilli exports alone, thanks to the cooling equipment.

The government’s five-year agriculture strategic plan (PSTA 5), commencing in July 2024, will allocate Rwf6.988 trillion ($5.4 billion) to modernize agriculture, build resilience, and achieve 8.2% annual agricultural GDP growth. Key priorities include reducing post-harvest losses, enhancing export value chains, and creating 644,000 off-farm jobs by 2029.

The plan, funded through public and private partnerships, also seeks to increase agricultural export revenues from $857 million in 2022/2023 to nearly $2 billion by 2029.

“This strategic shift positions Rwanda to harness its agricultural potential, address unemployment, and transform the sector into a global powerhouse,” Bizimana added.