Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), this week, received a delegation from FOMI, a company based in Burundi and Tanzania, manufacturing organo-mineral fertilizers. The company seeks to debut on Rwandan and Kenyan markets.

Organo-mineral Fertilizer is a fertilizer produced by adding some mineral components to the organic matter.

The delegation met with the Director General of RAB, Alexandre Rutikanga, and discussed prospects to conduct efficacy trials of FOMI products for analysis and farmers’ adoption towards establishing an organo-mineral fertilizers plant in Rwanda.

The FOMI delegation included Hermenegilde Manyange who is Deputy Director General, Samson Rubenga, the Country Representative & Business Advisor), Syldie Bizimana who is the Research & Innovation Head as well as Cassien Kanyegeri who is Agronomic Director as well as their local partners.

According to RAB Director General, Rutikanga, the next step to is assess what the firm produces and then proceed with laws that govern investments, standards and imports of fertilizers.

"We have to assess the performance, the quality and standards of the firm’s fertilizers and if they increase production before setting up the factory in Rwanda,” he said adding that other procedures will be carried out by embassies as it is a foreign company.

The reports from embassies, he said, could help RAB and Rwanda Inspectorate, Competition, and Consumer Protection Authority (RICA) to be able to test samples and carry out trials on Rwandan soil to assess the fertilizers’ performance.

"If we realize that the fertilizers have quality and increase production, we can discuss how they can locally be produced to reduce imports,” he said.

Talks with RDB

On Wednesday, February 15, the company’s delegation met RDB officials to explore investment opportunities in Rwanda.

Hermenegilde Manyange who is Deputy Director General of the firm said they came to Rwanda to explore investment opportunities for their fertilizer production technology.

While imported fertilizers prices have gone up, officials in Rwanda said local production could address the issue.

The government, in 2022/2023 fiscal year, provided over Rwf30 billion to subsidize fertilizers following the rise in prices.