In alignment with NAEB’s mandate to, inter alia, promote Rwanda’s horticultural exports, a comprehensive initiative to expand key horticultural crops is underway, under the Promoting Smallholder Agro-Export Competitiveness Project (PSAC), co-funded by the Government of Rwanda and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
Focused on the development of horticultural commodities such as mango, avocado, and macadamia commodities, this project is set to enhance both the scale and productivity of these high-value crops, positioning Rwanda as a competitive player in global horticultural markets.
Within this transformative project, the expansion of avocado plantations will involve the plantation of grafted seedlings on 800 hectares across five districts: Rusizi in the Western Province, Huye and Nyanza in the Southern Province, and Rwamagana and Bugesera in the Eastern Province. This avocado initiative will engage 1,600 smallholders, strengthening their participation in the horticulture value chain and enhancing Rwanda’s avocado export capacity.
The expansion of mango plantations will involve the plantation of grafted seedlings on 200 hectares across two Districts; Rusizi in the Western Province and Bugesera in the Eastern Province. This initiative will directly engage at least 400 smallholder farmers, contributing to the growth of mango production as part of Rwanda’s import substitution strategy. This effort aims to reduce reliance on mango imports, while enhancing the country’s export potential.
The first phase of grafted seedling preparation is complete, with over 45,514 avocado seedlings and 9,042 mango seedlings to be planted across various districts. Additional seedlings will be prepared annually, with the goal of planting a total of 240,000 avocado seedlings on 800 hectares and 60,000 mango seedlings on 200 hectares over the next four years.
For the macadamia crop, 102,000 seedlings will be planted over a four-year period on 100 hectares in the districts of Nyamasheke, Karongi, Rusizi and Rutsiro in the Western Province, and Rwamagana in the Eastern Province.
This horticultural transformation initiative will not only boost farmers’ productivity and income but also create numerous life-enhancing job opportunities. These include the ongoing production of avocado and mango seedlings through a community-based approach led by youth and women groups, which is expected to significantly improve their living standards.
Mr. Jean Bosco MULINDI, Emerging commodities Division Manager at NAEB said: “These horticultural initiatives are vital to advancing NAEB’s goal of increasing agricultural exports while improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. By focusing on the expansion of high-demand crops like mango, avocado, and patchouli, NAEB continues to drive the growth of Rwanda’s horticulture sector and contribute to the overall development of the country’s agro-export economy.”. (End)