One of the most difficult decisions for aspiring entrepreneurs is quitting a stable job to pursue uncertain opportunities. Had it not been a decision to take a leap of faith to venture out and start her horticulture business, Angel Uwatenge would not have made history as the first Rwandan woman – and the fourth ever woman-led business in the country – to export a full container of 22 tonnes of Hass avocados, through her company Bahage Foods Ltd. Uwantege achieved the milestone on October 4, 2024, when she flagged off the container – the move highlighting the immense growth she has undergone ever since she decided to step out of her comfort zone and start her own business. Today, Uwantege stands out as a reference point of the potential of Rwanda’s agricultural export industry, especially in regard to horticultural businesses led by young women, who undoubtedly face compounded gendered barriers in accessing global markets. Like any other young ambitious woman, Uwantege set out to find a job and she got one with a communication company, where she worked for almost five years before getting another job with a local bank. As fate would have it, Uwantege was posted to the Eastern Province where her field job involved training people and also educating them about the different products the bank offered. Little did she know that her new posting would birth the entrepreneurial journey she is on today. “The more I visited different people, most of whom were farmers, the more I felt the need to join farming,” she says, adding that she was also able to figure out how the value chain works. At her young age, she thought she was not meant to be sitting in the bank, moving around and seeing what other people are doing. “I thought I should do something different,” Uwantege, who studied business, told The New Times, adding that she did not think of going into beauty or fashion shops, like some young women will when they think of business. She wanted to do something bigger and diverse. She had always harboured many ideas, but farming had never been one of them because her parents were not into farming. “I have never seen anyone in my family doing commercial farming. But again for me, I really needed to do something really big,” Uwantege says, adding that she set out to do research on agriculture in Rwanda. She says she heard about like-minded young people, who were already into farming in Bugesera District, and they told her that those people were getting some incentives from the government for what they were doing in agriculture. She consulted her colleague, and they agreed to meet someone – who had already ventured into farming, particularly growing vegetables, especially tomatoes which he would export. He had already made some headway, having been in the business already and knew how the export market was working. A demand for chilli peppers had arisen. Uwantege was interested in growing pepper for export, but she did not have enough time – let alone land. She partnered with the farmer to start the chilli farming project, which she had knowledge about and was ready to train him on how to produce the chilli -the small red pepper to export to India. They got linked to the International Trade Centre (ITC), which trained them on how to grow that chilli and export it. They started the Rwamagana Modern Farmers Company as a group of five. “We started as out growers where a group of five people came together, then we grew the chilli,” she recalled, adding that when the dividends were not coming quickly, four of her colleagues gave up and went into other sectors, but she persisted. “For me, I continued because I was seeing potential in it,” she says, adding that she also started growing different vegetables and crops like Irish potatoes and others. Born in Uganda, but grew up in Tanzania, and studied in Rwanda, Uwantege had enough experience and exposure to establish her own company. Growing food to feed the world The idea was to produce enough food to feed not just the Rwandan market, but also others through exports. She set out to research how the market is in Uganda and Kenya, and Tanzania to figure out how it is done elsewhere. “My focus was not to do only chilli farming. I was focusing on growing different crops, but in different ways,” Uwantege notes, adding that she also went to Arusha to see how export crops are grown. She came back to Rwanda, and set up her own company, and that is how she started Bahage Foods Ltd in 2018. Her idea was to do both farming and export, and that is what she wanted to do. However, considering that in horticulture you deal with perishables, they face challenges when they start out. “When we were starting, it was a bit complicated,” she says, admitting that they struggled from the onset until they figured out how the business operates. Today, she is grateful for those struggles because they pushed her more. At the time, there were many challenges, including lack of storage facilities or cold rooms as well as enough cold trucks to move the produce from one place to another. However, Uwantege was able to leverage the immense government support in her sector, where different institutions support farmers involved in export agriculture, to ensure that their businesses are sustainable and profitable. She is thankful for the government support, and constant oversight by responsible institutions, which follow up to ensure that the value chain is working. The government also invested in storage facilities, cold rooms and a cargo plane. At the time, they only had one packhouse which was government-owned and was being used by at least 20 exporters but today they have at least three pack houses as well as different cold room facilities, while RwandAir has eased logistical challenges exporters were facing. Also, RwandAir launched a cargo plane and opened routes to different destinations, operated with big planes, opened up fresh opportunities for export trade. ALSO READ: AfCFTA: Rwandan products launched on Ghanaian market Before, she says they could not produce enough to fill up a plane, but today they produce 20 or 50 tonnes more – which can be produced by one export farmer alone. Uwatenge says they are now looking at other means of transport, not just by air, but also by sea because there are some crops which they can ship by sea, and we have already started,” “There are other crops which we have to ship by air, like French beans, chilli and avocado, as well as any other crops, such as dry crops,” Uwantege says, also pointing out that even frozen products can be shipped by sea, some lasting up to six months, depending on the crop and handling. ALSO READ: Rwanda flags off first Fuerte avocado variety shipment by sea With the volume of what they produce getting big, they are more focussed on other means of transportation than just the airline. Major milestones Uwantege believes starting from scratch helped her, having started out with nothing The 35-year-old mother of one, started her farming journey with one rented hectare of land growing one crop, but today she is growing and shipping five different crops. “That is also another milestone -to get the customer where to ship all those crops,” she says, adding that the growth is also seen through the land they require. Every season she needs between 30 to 40 hectares of land to grow her crop products. Every year she strives to increase the bulk of what she produces -for instance, if this year they are shipping 600 tonnes, the target is to hit 1,000 tonnes. For Uwantege, it is not just about that. Through her company, she has created jobs and she is looking to create more, while at the same time innovating to improve her business. She has also managed to work on the required certifications to be accepted to export to different destinations including China, Germany, UK, The Netherlands, Italy, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and currently eyeing Saudi Arabia. That in itself is quite some work because you do not just wake up to export to such countries. Uwantege is eyeing more markets and value addition. Uwantege also ships French beans, bananas and other dry products to Asia and Europe and eyes adding frozen products. A delicate business Apart from the aforementioned challenges of storage facilities and transportation, Uwantege says there is no single formula to succeed in the horticulture business which is delicate. However, for one to venture it, one needs at least basic training, most of it hands-on, from people who have been in the sector. “You can’t jump into something without having any proper knowledge about it. You should have knowledge,” Uwantege says, adding that research and knowledge contribute greatly. Today most people will jump into a business because so and so did it and succeeded. Uwantege says it does work that way. “At least, you need to find out how that person managed to make it” she says, adding that other factors to research include weather, soil, seeds and many other factors, as well as experts, including agriculture extension workers, to always help you. Similarly, one has to consider the type of crops they are going to grow and the different varieties, depending on the market demand and last, figure out your market before you go into production. Uwantege states that because horticulture is delicate, one has to work with insurance companies in case of any disasters, including pests, heavy rain, flooding or drought which can wipe out hectares of crops in a short time. The good thing, Uwantege says that people joining the horticulture sector today are lucky because they have many advantages, given the many government incentives as well as the various facilities which are in place now to facilitate export businesses. Juggling responsibilities Being a young woman and a mother, one would think it is all too heavy on her head, but it all starts with the mind-set. When you are determined and have the right mindset, you can do something regardless of your gender or marital status. “The first thing you need is to say...I am capable, and I can do this,” she says, adding that she got married when she was already in the agro-export business, which added her more responsibilities, but she plans her day accordingly to fit in all of them. “Because I got married, it doesn't mean that I should stop what I was doing,” she says, emphasizing that marriage should not alter women’s careers and dreams. Instead, the person you marry should be able to support you to do more. ALSO READ: Gender equity, mental health take center stage as women in business tackle work-life balance However, it starts with the mindset that one can do it- telling your brain that you can. Similarly, identifying the market and proper financing channels is the other aspect one needs and also putting together a team, because you can’t do it alone. For anyone who wants to go into the horticulture business, especially women and girls, hard work pays off and it is a business that has huge potential and opportunities. All you need is to do your research, be fearless and take a leap of faith but the sector is still young and virgin and Rwanda is looking to increase the export products in the short and long-term. “There are so many opportunities in the sector and it is still young. We need more people to be,” she says, adding that it is also an opportunity to contribute to the country’s GDP and export base. Today, Uwantege says most difficulties have been solved compared to when she joined, and newcomers have many people to guide and advise them. There is still enough market for all, as long as you plan well what you want to do. She also says there are many organisations which support people who go into such business, more so, for women. She has been supported by the VIBE Programme, which linked her to different markets. The initiative is supported by TradeMark Africa and the Mastercard Foundation, the Private Sector Federation (PSF) Specialized Cluster, the host of the SheTrades Rwanda Hub. Uwantege got support from government institutions such as the National Agriculture Export Development Board (NAEB) and the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and ITC. All these are partners working together to ensure the growth and scaling of business that contribute to exports.
