Agriterra, a Dutch organization specialized in cooperative business development has launched a program set to increase production supply in Rwanda.
Run in partnership with Enabel (Belgian Development Agency) and the Rwanda Agricultural Board (RAB), the project dubbed, “outgrower service company project aims at increasing the soybean and maize productivity and get the production delivered to the animal feeds industry in different parts of Rwanda.
Over 3,000 farmers are set to benefit from the project. It will be piloted in the district of Ngoma and scaled up in Kirehe and Gisagara next year. Jasper Spikker, Agriterra Rwanda country representative explains how they came up with the initiative.
Import reliance
“We’ve learnt that Rwandan animal feeds millers are depending a lot on imports when it comes to maize and soybeans as raw materials for the animal feeds production, and that the local production is not meeting the demand of the animal feed industry because of low productivity and post-harvest losses,” he highlighted.
“Hence we want to increase farmers’ productivity and provide market opportunities at the same time, he added, through creating an outgrower service company that will supply farm inputs to farmers, offer extensions services, various training and buy the production from farmers at good prices.
This project’s budget is one million Euros in three years. Dr Tesfaye Dalgie, the Intervention Manager of Partnership for Resilient and Inclusive Small Livestock Markets Programme(PRISM), asked the farmers to own this newly born outgrower service company and make use of it to benefit them.
“You have to own this company and work for it. Don’t leave it to the supporters because we will register success from it, if and only if farmers commit to work for it, serve it and maximise its potential,” he urged.
