Dr. Gerardine Mukeshimana, Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, discusses opportunities and challenges in Rwanda’s agriculture, and the Ministry’s hopes to harness its potential.
European Times: What’s the main mission of the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources?
Gerardine Mukeshimana: The Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources sets up policies to create conditions that get agriculture from a subsistence to a business oriented sector. We have a mandate to make sure that we make agriculture as competitive as possible, while transitioning into a modern system. We need to strategise how we can bring rural finance into agriculture, and are interested in gaining technologies to increase irrigation and harness rainwater harvesting to face the climate challenges. We also have the CIP (crop intensification program), and are informing farmers of how and why to use agriculture inputs such quality seeds and fertilizers. We are still trying to build a crop insurance scheme for farmers. If we implement that then we will be able to attract financial institutions in the sector.
European Times: What are potential products for the sector?
Gerardine Mukeshimana: We are looking at initiatives like coffee and tea farm extensions, as we want to increase tea farms by 18,000 hectors. It’s important to ensure production is in place to meet both local and export needs and we need make sure we diversify to other products such as horticulture, livestock, and fisheries to supply larger markets with differentiated products.
European Times: What about the livestock and fisheries industry?
Gerardine Mukeshimana: We are working hard to bring livestock opportunities. With the ‘One Cow Per Poor Family Initiative’, milk production has grown exponentially, and there is huge potential in investing in milk and milk by-products. We need to create an environment to show this is a safe place to come for agriculture. We have also invested in fisheries and welcome European business people and scientists to manage facilities and create values addition and marketing opportunities. There have been issues in production and overfishing, but we are working to replenish the lakes and create stricter guidelines. There is immense potential in fish farming and aquaculture.
European Times: What are your goals for the next five years?
Gerardine Mukeshimana: We need to have strong policies to eliminate barriers and provide our people with more opportunities. As agriculture contributes to a large percentage of our countries wealth, I feel we still have a lot to do and need to make the sector more business-orientated.
European Times: Finally, what is your personal message to our readers?
Gerardine Mukeshimana: There is a huge potential for investment in Rwanda. Investors should know that Rwanda is a business friendly country and not just a country for itself, it is a country that gives you access to other countries, particularly in the EAC.
