International standards experts are working on the move to help Rwanda improve the quality of agricultural products for both exports and domestic consumption. The institutions, the American Jewish Committee Africa Institute and the Standards Institute of Israel (SII) will achieve this through standardisation of products, product testing, product certification, management system certification and training of the workers. The Israel Ambassador to Rwanda, Yaacov Amitai said that the integration between these institutions and Rwanda Bureau of Standards (RBS) will form a platform for sharing knowledge and experience in promoting agricultural quality products. He added. ‘‘Promotion of quality is a key to development, and this sharing of knowledge between our countries can lead to further cooperation in a plethora of fields’’.The ambassador added that SII’s partnership will also strengthen Rwanda’s ability to compete in international markets. However, the ambassador did not disclose when the project will commence, saying that consultations are still going on between two countries to see what areas in agriculture sector need immediate action. He said the partnership will be mutual linkage of Rwanda and Israel where Israel will also gain from Rwanda in terms of man power. RBS Acting Managing Director, Dr. Kimonyo Anastase emphasised that the partnership will help RBS to achieve its mission of implementing quality control and certification services for fresh agricultural and livestock product. This will in the end improve consumer protection, export promotion and extension of standardization of knowledge to local farmers through training and advisory services.The State Minister in charge of Industry and Investment Promotion in the Ministry of Commerce, Karenga Vincent said the partnership will help Rwanda achieve its vision 2020. The vision is for socio-economic development of the country based on its people and its limited resources. This will be supported by a strong trade policy which entails the development of internal and external trade, industry promotion and diversification, regional and international integration as well as private sector partnership.Ends
