Rwanda should tap into the unexploited potential of markets like India to boost its coffee and tea exports, Clarence Fernandes, the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) representative based in Mumbai, has advised. Fernandes was speaking during the just-concluded World Tea and Coffee Expo in Mumbai, India last week.

Rwanda exhibited its specialty coffee and tea at the expo for the first time. The fair, second of its kind, was dedicated entirely to the tea and coffee sectors, and attracted 40 companies from Europe, Asia and Africa.

Fernandes said India is a huge market that local producers should exploit to grow their market reach and export volumes. He revealed that many buyers and investors expressed willingness to invest in Rwanda, especially in the country’s tea and coffee sectors.

"Our presentation on "Potential Trade Opportunities in the Hot Beverage Sector between India and Rwanda” was well received…We are confident of converting this initiative into business and investment opportunities,” he said.

Rwandan tea and coffee were showcased at an exclusive booth set up by the RDB in collaboration with the Rwandan High Commission in India and the National Agricultural Exports Board. Coffee and tea export earnings dropped to $12.79 million and $ 28.48 million, respectively in the first half of the year, from $20.2 million and $31.7 million, during the same period last year, the central bank’s bi-annual monetary policy and financial stability statement indicates.