Avocado farming in Rwanda is one of those that have started to receive a lot of attention and are given special export status because they are among the few that can pass through waterways while many others are exported by plane.
Avocado is one of the economic crops that are increasing in the international market among agricultural products from Rwanda.
The National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB), shows that flowers, fruits and vegetables are exported from 40 tons per month in 2017, and now it has reached 1000 tons per month.
Director of Marketing and Innovation at NAEB, Basiima Janet told IGIHE that avocados are in high demand in the international market, which is why they set up a shipping method by water.
He said, “Lawyers are in high demand and are available in the country. Now we started trying to ship them, after we did it in Dubai we did it in Europe, so now the client tells us that he wants five containers every week that can be done.”
NAEB shows that from July 2023 to April 2024, Rwanda sent 3,543,473 pounds of avocados to Middle Eastern countries, 85,364 pounds were sent to Europe, while 477,426 pounds of avocados were sent to African countries.
Basiima said, “If you look at the avocados that are popular in the Arab countries, it is where they offer the best price, like Dubai, where we send about 80% of Rwanda’s avocados.”
The report of the National Development Agency, RDB, for 2023 shows that exports earned Rwanda $3.5 billion, which shows an increase of 17.2% compared to the year 2022.
In the 2022/2023 fiscal year, lawyers earned $6.3 million in Rwanda, which is 13 times more than the $440,000 they earned in 2013.
A farmer is bought at a good price, the avocado is gold
Avocado farmers say that exporters of avocados buy one for 100 Frw or less while the information they get from the market is that one kilo arrives in Europe with a value of 12 US Dollars.
Pacifique Hakuzweyezu, who has six thousand avocado trees in the Huye region, told IGIHE that the amount of money that reaches the farmer would make the farmer grow faster.
“If they bought you at a good price it would be life changing, that money would be worth it,” he said.
Denis Sezibera, who grows avocados on an area of one hectare in the Gicumbi region, told IGIHE that there are conflicts between the farmer and the buyer who sends the produce outside the country, causing a lot of money not to reach the farmer.
The farmer says that the NAEB should set the price for the consumer not less than a kilo of avocado or one avocado so that the farmer can make a profit.
In the year 2020/2021 flowers, fruits and vegetables earned $28,793,267, in 2021/2022 $42,862,494 and in the year 2022/2023 Rwanda earned $58,169,911 million
