As Rwanda continues to roll out a red carpet for investors; yet again other investors with a vision have knocked on the door and as usual, it is wide open. The good news is that these particular investors bring great ideas. All along, Rwanda’s coffee and tea production has been solely depending on the rich volcanic soils the country is blessed with, with just a few growers with the capacity to buy fertilisers to boost production. Amidst all this, Rwanda has been able to produce and has maintained its status as a producer of one of the finest coffees and most delicious teas in the World. However as time goes by, it’s clear that the soil will also deplete, while world-wide production of these two lucrative cash crops is becoming more competitive, with new producers emerging. Consumers only want the best in terms of quality and quantity.
As Rwanda continues to roll out a red carpet for investors; yet again other investors with a vision have knocked on the door and as usual, it is wide open. The good news is that these particular investors bring great ideas.
All along, Rwanda’s coffee and tea production has been solely depending on the rich volcanic soils the country is blessed with, with just a few growers with the capacity to buy fertilisers to boost production.
Amidst all this, Rwanda has been able to produce and has maintained its status as a producer of one of the finest coffees and most delicious teas in the World.
However as time goes by, it’s clear that the soil will also deplete, while world-wide production of these two lucrative cash crops is becoming more competitive, with new producers emerging. Consumers only want the best in terms of quality and quantity.
It’s therefore timely that Rwanda also thought of the means of boosting the already known quality of its coffee and tea, and there’s no better way to do it than producing fertilisers and other incentives locally.
The two investors, Olyana Holdings, an American firm and Kenyan Athi River Mining Company; will invest over US $5m, to set up a factory that manufactures organic fertilizers from lime and other raw materials.
The investors deserve all the support because in the long run, the benefits from this project will be very massive and visible. Apart from saving millions and millions of funds spent on importation of already blended fertilizers; the plant will also create jobs, promote research and agriculture, as well as utilise some of the untapped resources the country boasts of such as lime.
It’s also important to note that this is a good step towards the plan to reduce on imports (import substitution) by locally manufacturing some of the commodities imported.
Not to forget, Coffee and Tea are key revenue earners and it’s imperative that we seek ways to improve on the quality of the yield in order to earn much more revenue which is directly injected back in the economy, more like feeding a cow you milk. Our input will determine the output.
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