"I consider my farm as a shop. When one has a shop, they have to open it daily which explains why I spend the biggest part of my day on my farm, because this is where I eke out a living.”

These are the words of Jean Marie Vianney Twagirayezu, a coffee and banana farmer from the remote Kigembe Sector in Gisagara District.

At the time of the interview, he was in his coffee plantation, supervising his employees.

Twagirayezu, 42, employs at least 100 workers in his various businesses and earns Rwf3 million from agriculture every year.

His coffee plantation sits on 17 hectares of land, with 42,000 trees from which he harvests about 50 tonnes of coffee berries every year.

He also owns a five-hectare banana plantation from which he harvests at least one tonne per month.

Twagirayezu, a father of six, also owns Kigembe Plant Limited, which brews Dusabane banana beer brand. He produces 1,000 litres of the brew per week, he says.

Long journey

He said he started commercial agriculture with only Rwf10,000, which he used to lease a piece of land and to buy seeds.

"I used to grow tomatoes and sell them at the local market. Later, I ventured into small scale retail business but I realised my heart belonged to the farm, so I decided to diversify,” he said.

This is the point at which he got the idea of working with financial institutions to expand his farming activities.

In 1998 he opened an account with Banque Populaire du Rwanda (BPR) where he almost immediately secured a Rwf400,000 loan, which he injected into his farming activities.

In 2001, he acquired a Rwf3 million loan which he repaid after harvesting, and in 2004, he secured another facility worth six million; all the while, his business continued to expand.

He said he got his major breakthrough in 2012, when he got another loan worth Rwf57 million from the Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD) which not only helped him expand his acreage but also set up a coffee processing plant.

"I was producing a lot of coffee and was selling cherries, which was fetching little money considering the input. I was advised to find ways of getting my own processing plant so that I get to sell processed coffee,” he said. The processor, he said, will also help add value to the produce from his neighbours.

Next on his agenda is to set up an irrigation mechanism that will support his activities during the dry season so that he can maximise production.

"I have been working well with the banks and I want to acquire more loans to further my agribusiness. The brewing technology I use is not very advanced; I want to get a state of the art equipment to ease operations,” he said.

What he has achieved

Thanks to his farming activities, Twagirayezu has continued expanding his asset base.

"I now own two commercial buildings in Nyaruteja trading centre, worth Rwf20 million, I have a residential house, worth Rwf10 million, and a car, valued at Rwf5 million,” he said.

What his employees say

Those employed by Twagirayezu, said his businesses benefit the entire community.

"I started working for him in 2003. I bought a motorcycle and built myself a house. He is a good man to work with; he wants everyone who works with him to progress and he has done a lot for our community,” said Ignace Nshimiyimana.

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