From farm labourer to food exporter

Raising business capital is often a sore deed for many a woman, but with the tenacity that some seem to come with, resigning to fate is never an option; hard work is.Angelique Mukashema Nirere, 32, says she has achieved her dreams through hard work. The mother of three used to do menial jobs on people’s farms.“I used to cultivate for others to get money, we were paid Rwf2,000 per day to survive. I had to go through that life for five years before starting my own business,” recalls Mukashema, a resident of Bihungwe cell, Mudende sector in Rubavu district.But sometimes one bargained for higher pay on increased work. So she later successfully bargained to work for Rwf5,000 per day, which boosted her savings and laid the foundation for the first piece of land she bought.In 2000, she started her own farming business on the small piece of land she bought. She has never looked back.From then she started cultivating her own Irish potatoes while she worked for others to supplement her income.“As I got money, I started to rent land and started to cultivate Irish potatoes. I sold the produce as I rented other land,” she says.“My business started growing. In 2002 I bought more hectares of land. At the time I had no house, I lived in a grass-thatched house, life was still a bit tight.”From working on people’s farms, she bought manure for use on her farm.“I harvested almost 10 tonnes and as I got money I kept buying more land,” she says. She managed to build her own house in 2004, but still it was not decent, according to her.Progress started“The house I built from my Irish potatoes business was not good enough. I tried my best to make sure that I leave it after building a better one,” she says.Mukashema’s four-room house is specious with modern ceiling. She also has a commercial house in the area, which serves as a pub and a cell office.“I couldn’t believe my business would succeed. I knew that doing business as a rural woman was almost impossible, thinking it was a male’s job. But the more I tried, the more successful it became,” she says.Now the house is worth Rwf18 million; I can sell it and build another one, she says.Mukashema owns more than seven hectares of land.“Business has improved thanks to the fertile land. Now I can plant more and only look to the bright side of the harvest,” she says.Mukashema is now able to harvest between 25 and 40 tonnes of Irish potatoes per season depending on the weather. She also buys produce from neighbours, which she sells.Today, she sells Irish potatoes in the country and also exports to Burundi and DR Congo.“My dream is to extend the business to other neighbouring countries and beyond,” she says.Supporting the poorHer humble past endears her to the poor, giving her a heart for the needy. Mukashema has managed to adopt an orphan as the government encourages closure of orphanages and children be adopted by Good Samaritans. The child is now studying.She pays school fees for other five children.“I saw that they would drop out after passing exams, their families are poor. I thought it would be a good thing to support them. I pay full fees for three while and other two I pay a half and their parents pay the rest, I know they will recognise my support after finishing and if not, God will do so,” she says.She employs more than 10 people on her plantation who she works with closely.“I make sure I am close to them and help them even after paying them. I know they are toiling and always encourage them to work hard and try to save despite their meagre income,” she says.

National

From farm labourer to food exporter