EU commits Rwf184bn to agriculture devt

The European Union has committed Euro 200 million (about Rwf184 billion) to the country’s agricultural sector. The fund, to be invested until 2020, is part of the Euro 460 million earmarked for Rwanda’s development programme. It will cover areas such as feeder roads, nutrition, and centralised and decentralised agriculture. This was announced by Amb. Michael Ryan, the head of the European Union delegation to Rwanda during the closure of a two-day second Comprehensive Agricultural African Development Programme stakeholders meeting in Kigali yesterday. “We are committed as the European Union. We like what is happening in agriculture sector, we like what the ministry is doing,” Amb. Ryan said. The EU envoy said they had been working closely with the Rwandan government through the Ministry of Finance and Economic planning and had reached a consensus to channel a section of the funds through budget sector support. “We work closely with the Ministry of Finance and a decision has been taken to transform around 80 per cent of our agricultural support into the form of budget sector support straight to the treasury with predefined targets and objectives,” Amb. Ryan said. The EU envoy said that they were impressed with Rwanda’s model for including the private sector in a discussion on agricultural sector growth. This is not the first time the EU has been involved in promoting agriculture in Rwanda. They coordinate the efforts of development partners such as USAID, Jica and the African Development Bank, among others. Central in devt Finance minister Claver Gatete said the agriculture sector was at the centre of economic transformation and not only contributed to poverty reduction but also economic growth. He said the sector’s contribution to poverty reduction was about 50 per cent in the previous economic development strategy. Under EDPRS1, one million people have been lifted out of poverty and phase 2 targets to lift three million people. The agricultural sector employs 80 per cent of the population of Rwanda and comprises 33 per cent of the country’s GDP. Other partners that committed their support to Rwanda’s agricultural sector in the next five years include the World Bank, African Development Bank, the Private Sector Federation, USAID, DFID and Japan International Corporation Agency. Getting people out of poverty The stakeholders meeting was a two-day conference held to discuss ways to develop Rwanda’s agriculture sector as a mechanism for poverty reduction through collaboration between the Rwandan government, civil society and the private sector. The Minister for Agriculture, Dr Agnes Kalibata, reiterated government’s commitment to boost the sector. “We can never get tired to recommitting to making sure that people are well fed, recommitting to making sure that people’s children have the right nutrition, and recommitting to making sure that people get out poverty.”

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EU commits Rwf184bn to agriculture devt