Rwanda to export food to UK

As the world suffers a scarcity of agricultural products, Rwanda is to starting to export products to the UK.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Fresh beans have potential market in london.

As the world suffers a scarcity of agricultural products, Rwanda is to starting to export products to the UK.

Rwanda Diaspora Investment (RDI) in the UK said it will soon start importing Rwandan agricultural products to feed the UK markets.

According to a release issued early this week, RDI’s first shipment of food from Rwanda is expected to arrive in the UK this month.

"The company has opened a shop in which these products are to be sold,” David Ruvubi, RDI’s Managing Director, said in the statement to The NewTimes.

The products to be sold include cassava, millet and sorghum flours, dry cassava leaves (Isombe) and bottled pepper (akabanga) will be sold in a shop called Seven Sisters, located in North London.

"This is the first exclusively Rwandan shop to be opened in London and RDI has expansion plans to ensure Rwandan products are available in different parts of London and the UK,” the release reads in part.

The move to import Rwandan products, according to Ruvubi, is a result of last year’s Rwanda investment conference that was organised by RDI in partnership with the Rwandan Embassy in London and Rwanda Investment and Export Promotion Agency (RIEPA).

"Since then we have been under pressure, especially from Rwandans, to make available on the UK market the goods that were exhibited and we decided to take up the challenge,” Ruvubi said.

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