NYARUGENGE DISTRICT LEADERS have embarked on promoting tea and coffee farming to boost household incomes and fight poverty among residents.

With about 62 per cent of its population living under the poverty line, the district remains one of the poorest in the country.

As majority of its population relies entirely on agriculture, local leaders believe developing the sector would significantly uplift the lives of residents and speed up development.

Mayor Francois Habitegeko said the plan is to support tea and coffee farmers to keep on improving the quality and quantity of their crops. The hilly district is favourable to tea and coffee production due to its climate and soil acidity.

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In a bid to boost tea production in the country, the Ministry of Agriculture unveiled plans to increase tea plantations by 18,000 hectares of land at the end of 2017.

The target is part of National Agriculture Export Development Board (NAEB)’s second phase programme, dubbed “New tea plantations and factory construction approach (2012-2017)”.

According to available NAEB statistics, the first phase, from 2004-2012 saw 20,665 hectares of land planted with tea.

The Minister of Agriculture, Agnes Kalibata, disclosed this shortly after presenting the country’s tea production strategy by NAEB, last week.

The minister expressed optimism, saying that the target was achievable.

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Even as economists predicted that Africa will be the leading destination for foreign investors in the coming years, reports indicated that 2011 saw the continent take less that 4% of the total global capital.

Most of this miserable share was mainly in form of oil exploration in areas like east Africa where Uganda and Kenya have made some signifi­cant finds and in Tanzania where prospects are high.

That effectively means that with­out oil, the continent known to have immense opportunities and resourc­es, would not have attracted even a single dollar from foreign investors.

Even as political stability in Africa has improved significantly during the past couple of years, therefore making the continent more attractive to business, we are yet to see huge in­vestments in agriculture—the main economic activity in most in Africa.

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High Fish prices in different markets in Kigali have driven away customers.

The prices, which traders attribute to rise in fish scarcity and high transport fare, has doubled compared to this time, last year.

A kilo of fish in most Kigali markets last week was sold at Rwf2,500, while in Nyabugogo market it went for Rwf2,800.

All the fish vendors who spoke to The New Times during a mini survey carried out last week, said they sold fish last year at Rwf2,000 per kilogramme.

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The government is committed to supporting Soya Bean processing plant (SOYCOM) in Kayonza district, Prime Minister Pierre Damien Habumuremyi has said.

SOYCOM will cost $14m (Rwf8.8b) upon completion, is jointly owned by Clinton Hunter Development Initiative, Mount Meru Group of Companies, Crystal Ventures Ltd, Rwanda Social Security Board and Kayonza district.

The PM, who addressed employees at the plant, underscored the role and importance of the industry to the country’s economy. He was accompanied during yesterday’s tour by ministers Protais Musoni (Cabinet Affairs) and Dr Agnes Kalibata (Agriculture) and Governor Odette Uwamariya.

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