Holiday shoppers are assured of ending the year on a full stomach following reports that consumer food prices have been falling steadily. This is good news, especially for policymakers in the Ministry of Agriculture who have seen their innovative efforts bear fruits.Increasing productivity using modern farming methods and high yielding seeds and silos have been the mainstay of the ministry, but now it needs to shift attention to the next chapter, adding value and seeking markets. Rwanda has high quality natural and tasty agricultural products that could be packaged to fit in the urban environments, such as ready-to-eat or pre-cooked food that only needs warming. Adapting this into our current conservative attitude might be a tall order but urban lifestyles are dictated by the time factor, there is no second to lose if new strategies were put in place, such as coming up with the technology to preserve potatoes or our large array of vegetables, they could open up new avenues for farmers who would then start looking beyond our borders for new markets.With the national carrier, RwandAir, spreading its wings to new destinations, especially in agriculturally-challenged countries in West Africa and the Middle East, it could prove to be a windfall for local farmers with the right equipment and knowhow; that is the missing link.That is where all stakeholders could be roped in to come up with new strategies to conquer the new frontiers currently monopolised by a few Asian and European food giants.
