Visiting Polish investors have expressed interest in Rwanda’s agriculture sector, especially efforts to increase production through mechanisation, according to Tomasz Pisula, the Polish Investment and Trade Agency board president. Pisula, who led the delegation, said they want to partner with government to boost agricultural production through mechanisation. Pisula added that investing in mechanisation will enhance Rwanda’s production capacity and competitiveness.

While meeting the group on Friday, Dr Geraldine Mukeshimana, the Minister for Agriculture and Animal Resources, reiterated government’s commitment to support and work with investors as the country seeks to achieve its mechanisation goals.

The Government of Rwanda is committed to boosting mechanisation to increase production, she added. "We provide incentives to anyone who wants to invest in Rwanda.”

Rwanda is looking to improve market-oriented agriculture production and agro-processing to ensure more benefits for farmers and other sector players.

Toward agric mechanisation

In 2009, Rwanda embarked on a strategy seeking to achieve 25 per cent mechanisation farm operations by the end of this year. Mechanisation in Rwanda has increased from 3 per cent in 2009 to 21 per cent to date, with over 35,000 hectares land under mechanisation countrywide.

Innocent Nzeyimana, the chairman of irrigation and mechanisation taskforce at the ministry, said efforts to establish a tractor and power tiller assembling plant, worth $3 million, were ongoing. The ministry has already set up $1 million facility in the Kigali Special Economic Zone where the assembling plant will be housed, and is now looking for private investment worth $2 million for the plant.