President Paul Kagame is expected to conclude his four-day citizen outreach tour with a visit to Rugabano Tea Factory in Karongi District and interact with staff and tea farmers. The factory has a processing capacity of 1,000,000 kilogrammes of tea per year and aims to increase Rwanda’s total tea export volume by 3 percent within 10 years and provide local residents with a lucrative income that will improve their livelihoods as well as boost the regional economy. The factory currently employs close to 2,000 workers and benefits over 4,000 community members through cooperatives. In 2017, Rwanda entered into an agreement with Assam’s Luxmi Tea Co. Pvt. Ltd – an Indian company to develop around 4,500 hectares (ha) of tea plantation, jointly with local tea growers. In the first phase, Luxmi Tea was given 438ha under lease from the Rwandan government, in which the company supports local growers with know-how to cultivate 4,000ha more, and buy their crop paying a 44% share of revenue. Rwanda produces one of the best quality tea in the world. The country’s tea industry consists of an annual production volume of over 30,000 metric tons of made tea. The area under tea cultivation is approximately 26,000 hectares. As of the fiscal year 2017-2018, the total exported tea quantity amounted to 27,824,246 kg, an 11% increase from the previous year. Tea export grew by 18%; generating around US$88 million.
