Category: Economy

{Twenty richest countries (G20) have started up a project of ‘Tropical Agriculture Platform’ which aims at promoting agriculture in developing countries to help them cope with challenges affecting agriculture including climate change.}

Over 100 experts including researchers and others involved in seeking markets of agricultural harvest from over eight countries, have convened in Kigali to seek ways of promoting agriculture in developing countries through emulating some good practices from developed countries.

The Rwanda minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Dr. Gerardine Mukeshimana, has said that agricultural practices have got to change and adapt to climate change with sustainable mitigation interventions.

“The forum is meant to discuss how to better improve agriculture and seek ways of availing avail research findings to farmers and other interested individuals as well. These are not completed by one person or a single institution,” she said.

Mukeshimana says that countries located in tropical region have distinct agricultural challenges exacerbated by climate change.

“This requires combined efforts between people facing similar challenges to find sustainable solutions,” she added.

She said that Rwanda has already gained many achievements in the improvement of agriculture including the program of ‘Twigire Muhinzi,’ (Let farmers be self reliant), agribusiness and supplying quality seeds, among others, emphasizing the need of learning from others’ experiences.

The FAO Country Representative in Rwanda, Attaher Maiga, said that the project has started in eight countries including Rwanda.

“Rwanda has a bright vision and. It is an exemplary country in agricultural reform and increasing harvests to counter food shortage and poverty,” he said.

Maiga says that statistics indicate that over 800 million people across the World suffer from food shortage but comments that the number is getting lower.
He finds that held meetings bring innovations and research to cope with the matter but supported by countries’ governance.

Among those plans, Rwanda and other 7 countries including Angola, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso; Bangladesh, Laos, Guatemala and Honduras have recently received 26 Euro million to boost the capacity of agricultural and create innovations in the sector.
Rwanda will receive one million Euro in that project expected to last three years and half.

20 rich countries of the World this year include Australia, India, Argentina, France, China, Canada, Russia, Brazil, Deutsch,Indonesia,Arabie Saoudite, South Africa , Mexique, Italy, Japan, US,Turkey,England,South Korea and European Union.

{Global marine terminal operator DP World announces that it has been granted a 25 year concession to develop and operate a new logistics centre in Kigali, Rwanda.
The DP World Kigali Logistics project is a Greenfield concession agreement and the first phase will be built on 90,000m² (969,000 sq ft) with a 12,000m² (129,000 sq ft) container yard and a 19,600m² (211,000 sq ft) warehousing facility. Estimated annual capacity is 50,000 TEUs and 640,000 tonnes of warehousing space. Total project cost is estimated at $35 million, and further development will be phased in line with demand growth.}

Rwanda aims to enhance the country’s logistics industry to support the export of products for regional and international markets. The DP World Kigali Logistics Centre is expected to significantly contribute to the development of this strategy.

DP World Chairman HE Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem said DP World is delighted to have been granted this concession in Kigali, Rwanda. “We are excited by this opportunity to use our expertise to build best-in-class infrastructure to ensure the continued development and growth for Kigali and the wider economy.”

DP World Group Chief Executive Officer Mohammed Sharaf said DP World continues to be optimistic about the outlook for Africa and are proud to expand footprint in the region. “We aim to further develop the logistics sector through DP World Kigali Logistics to help meet the country’s 2020 vision of creating a strong domestic logistics services operator in the region.”

The partnership is further strengthened by Rwanda’s economic transformation in recent years, consistently delivering over 7% GDP growth and today it is also ranked as the most competitive country in East Africa by the World Economic Forum’s global competitiveness report.

{Various farmers from Bugarama valley have said that the farm gate prices for their produce are so low compared to the inputs they do apply, including fertilizers, efforts expended and the gestation period. }

Farmers made the appeal to parliamentarians on a tour to identify citizens’ challenges and make advocacy.

“We cultivate and get good harvests. However; we are challenged by the low prices,” said Joviane Ndabahimye.

Uwamariya Verena, another rice farmer also said that they have a good harvest but the prices are dissapponting.

The development comes at time since Rusizi district leadership in collaboration with rice farmers’ cooperatives and industries processing rice put a ceiling of Rwf 270 down from Rwf 272 per kg.

Léoncie Kankindi, the deputy mayor of Rusizi district said that the prices set are based on the initial price of the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

A parliamentarian, Mwiza Espérance said that they are going to embark on talks with cooperatives to understand the issue deeply and address it accordingly.

“Farmers have demonstrated how their efforts do not fully get compensated through the farm-gate prices. We are continuing to tour other locations so that we will sit together with cooperatives to hear how they can resolve the matter,” she said.

Bugarama valley in which cooperatives of farmers grow rice covers an area of 1500 hectares.

{Sector Savings and Credit Cooperatives (Umurenge SACCOs) are set to further increase financial inclusion in Rwanda with their latest partnership with electronic payment services provider, MobiCash Limited.}

The Rwanda Cooperative Agency (RCA), which regulates SACCOs has given MobiCash the go-ahead to have all SACCOs use its electronic payment gateway to offer financial services to the people, a move which the agency believes will boost financial inclusion while promoting a cashless economy simultaneously.

“Since SACCOs are closer to the people at grass-root level, it will now be easy for people to use MobiCash’s technology to carry out transactions such as making their Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) payments (both fiscal and non-fiscal) at their convenience,” said Francisca Mukakarangwa, the Director of the SACCO Coordination unit at RCA.

She added that the use of MobiCash will also enable the SACCOs register more ofthe unbanked and underbanked population.

“We urge more people to embrace the technology through SACCOs in order to improve access to financial services,” she said.

There are currently 416 Umurenge SACCOs spread out across the country out of which 122 so far have signed up to use the MobiCash platform.

MobiCash’s technology span covers a wide variety of uses and offers services that can be used whether or not one has a bank account or a mobile phone.

The platform is completely mobile network agnostic (independent of Mobile Network Operators) and can bank the entire spectrum of a country citizenry using biometric authentications.

Pascal Nyagahene, the MobiCash Rwanda Chief Executive Officer said they are committed to bringing fundamental innovation, convenience and easy access to banking and payment services to “everybody” especially those not served by financial institutions and regardless their financial status (the Unbanked), thus deepening the financial sector.

Among thefinancial services supported by the MobiCash platform include the payment of all Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) fees (both fiscal and non-fiscal) such aspayment of Visas and passports, cash-in and cash-out transactions, money remittance and other Value Added Services like purchase of airtime from all mobile networks, pre-paid electricity (cash power) and pay television subscriptions.
“We want as many people to use MobiCash to transact at their convenience,” he noted.

MobiCash, which was licensed to provide mobile financial services by the National Bank of Rwanda (BNR) in September 2014, is a viable option for the payment of government services and seeks to provide a platform for both public and private sector institutions for people to make electronic payments.

Today, the company has over 350 agents spread out across the country, providing a reliable agency banking model to Rwandans, thus deepening financial inclusion further.

To have an account with MobiCash, one just needs to go to their nearest MobiCash agent and start transacting.

Nyagahene said that they use people’s identification, which provides optimum security to their accounts from fraud, in that everyone has a unique identification that can’t be stolen.

“We found the use of biometric identification as the way to go because of its many advantages and protection from cyber theft which is often linked to the weak nature of passwords when it comes to electronic payments,” Nyagahene explained.

Commenting on the use of the platform, Sam Nsengimana, an accountant at Ijabo SACCO in Kicukiro district said the platform was easy to use for most of their clients and that it presented another revenue stream for SACCOs through the sharing of commissions earned on transactions using MobiCash.

“We hope more people continue to use the platform, thus increasing on our earned commissions for our cooperative members to share,” he noted.
About MobiCashLimited.

MobiCash Rwanda Ltd is a secure cashless mobile financial platform. Its commitment is to bring a fundamental innovation with convenience and easy access to banking and payment services to everybody including those not served by financial institutions regardless their financial status; thus, deepening the financial sector.

MobiCash solution offers a refreshing approach to mobile payment that overcomes the challenges of cashless payment. It uses multi-factor authentication mechanisms such as; fingerprint, Near Field Communication (NFC) Cards and Voice biometric technology to bank entire populations.

{The National Agricultural Exportation Board (NAEB) in collaboration with Western Province has encouraged farmers to increase the quality and quantity of cash crops for domestic consumption and exports.}

Western province holds 50% of Rwanda’s agricultural exports including tea, coffee, pyrethrum, vegetables, fruits and flowers among others.

Farmers have been requested to increase the harvest of coffee and tea from 8 tons to 12 tons per year.

The mobilization follows farmers who misallocated donated farmyard manure where some sold fertilizers or used them in other agricultural activities which reduced the harvest.

The Director General of NEB Amb. Kayonga George William said that they are ready to support farmers from Western province to increase the harvest since it is helpful for themselves and the country in general.

“We will facilitate them to access seeds, follow up their fields, and empower cooperatives’ management to make sure that expected aid reaches farmers as a bid to increase harvest per hectare.”

Uzaribara Denys, the president of Pfunda Cooperative which plants tea said that they will respect guidelines to increase the harvest.

“We have started and the yields started increasing. We have started harvest 10 tons per hectare and we are ready to increase efforts to make sure provided fertilizers enhance productivity,” he said.

He further unveiled a plan to collaborate with local leaders and industry owners to increase both the quality and quantity of cash crops.

Even though farmers plan to boost the harvest, they are still faced with challenges of finding seeds to replace damaged ones, inadequate farmland and poor state of roads hampering transportation of harvest from the field.

Based on farmers’ requests, NAEB revealed a plan to organize study trips whether in Rwanda and abroad to emulate best experiences from others.

{We live in a world where money is everything — or almost everything if you may.}

A lot of people have low-income jobs and feel that the only way they can increase their earnings is to get a better paying job. While a better paying job might provide you with more money, you would be faced with even more problems and higher bills that you wouldn’t really feel the impact of the increased income — this might bring you to the normal man’s money wish ‘if only I had more money’.

Below are ways you can increase your earnings, no matter your level of income.

1. SAVE MORE

Most people have a negative reaction to savings, but savings is an important part of finance and money that you can’t toy with. Earning more wouldn’t necessarily make you richer, but saving more would definitely leave you with more money.

2. SPEND LESS

Spending less goes hand in hand with saving more. More often than not, its how you spend your money that makes it not enough for you, no matter the increment in your wages. Block the loopholes that are swallowing your money, look for ways to reduce your expenditure and you would notice that your earnings would seem as if it has increased even though it hasn’t in the real sense.

3. STOP IMPULSE PURCHASE

Impulse buying is one of man’s biggest financial weaknesses. If you can calculate the amount of money you spend annually on impulse purchase, you would be shocked. Saving the money spent on impulse purchase would go a long way, no matter how little it is.

Also, stop buying what you don’t need. A lot of money goes wasted in items we know we don’t really need. You would save yourself a lot of money when you do this.

4. ADOPT A DO-IT-YOURSELF LIFESTYLE

It would do you a world of good if you can handle some simple home tasks that would need you paying money for it. When you learn some of these tasks, like simple electrical and plumbing works, you save yourself a lot of money in the long run.

5. START A SIDE BUSINESS

Starting a side business is one sure way of increasing your earnings that not everyone ventures into. You can use your skills, talents or abilities to start a simple business venture that would make you some money.

6. DON’T BE QUICK TO SPEND YOUR PROFITS OR SALARY RAISE

This is another area a lot of people get it wrong. When you have a raise in salary or an increase in profits, don’t be quick to move to a bigger house or buy a new car or purchase one luxury item or the other. Live as though there wasn’t any increase and save up the extra money. Do this for at least six months to one year, then you can gradually increase your expenditure. You would be surprised at the amount of money you would have saved within that timeframe.

A lot of people are always in a hurry to spend more and that’s where they get it wrong.

With these six simple tips, you can easily increase your earnings — it only takes discipline.

Source:Elcrema:[6 SURE WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR EARNINGS->http://www.elcrema.com/2016/01/04/6-sure-ways-to-increase-your-earnings/2/]

{When it comes to being rich and wealthy, people look for the easier options like gaining an inheritance, winning a lottery, gambling and betting and so many other quick fixes. But how many really get wealthy from the aforementioned quick fixes?}

You can genuinely get wealthy when you practice certain financial habits.

{{1. BE AWARE OF YOUR FINANCIAL SURROUNDINGS}}

This is one simple financial habit that many people pay little or no attention to. Many people enter businesses and make investments without having a background knowledge of their business / financial environment. Interest rates, tax laws and changes in tax laws, changes in customer perception, stock market, loans, investment opportunities and so many things surrounding the business climate or an intended business are highly important.

Having this knowledge of your financial surroundings would help you make wiser decisions.
{{
2. BUILD YOUR BRAND}}

Branding is an important part of making wealth, and it’s one that not everyone pays attention to. Whether you are a career person or a business person, branding is highly important. Your brand is what would make you wealthy or not. Build a brand that people would value and appreciate.

{{3. QUIT BEING IN DEBT}}

You can’t live a financially free life when you are always in debt. Learn to spend within your means — this is an important habit that every wealthy person knows.
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4. HAVE A PICTURE OF WHERE YOU WANT TO GO}}

You ought to have goals, ambition and drive. Create that mental image of where you are going and what you want to achieve. Having this image would set your mind to work and remind you daily of where you are going and what you ought to do to reach there — in other words, it keeps you motivated.

{{5. MONITOR YOUR EXPENDITURE}}

Keep track of what’s coming in and what’s going out. This is another important aspect of wealth creation that people don’t pay enough attention to. Sometimes it’s how you spend your money that makes it unable for you to save, invest and stay out of debts. When you keep track of where your money is going, it would be easier to curb those unhealthy money habits and cover those loopholes.

{{6. SAVE}}

You can’t run away from savings, no matter how wealthy you are. Everyone saves, even the rich and the wealthy — this habit separates them from the ordinary people. Savings come with so many benefits and can be the key to you being wealthy if properly utilised.
{{
7. WRITE DOWN YOUR GOALS}}

Write down your goals; your daily goals, weekly goals, monthly goals and yearly goals. Also, write down your financial goals for saving and spending your money and also your investment goals.

Goal setting makes you ambitious and reminds you of where you want to be and it helps you know if you are actually working towards it. When you don’t write your goals, you would probably live and act carelessly. One of the best ways to motivate yourself is by goal setting, and even if you don’t meet those targets, you know how far you have come.
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8. MAINTAIN STRONG RELATIONSHIPS}}

This is one simple trick every wealthy person knows. No man is an island, we all gain off each other, and keeping strong relationships would definitely keep you in business — their importance always come in at the time you need them most, that is, only if you know how to create and maintain strong relationships.

These are basic habits that can take you further than you can imagine.

{Conservation International, in partnership with Starbucks and other industry leaders, announced a call to action to make coffee the first sustainably sourced agricultural product in the world.}

Today’s launch of the Sustainable Coffee Challenge, at the U.N. climate negotiations in Paris, comes as ministers gather to write a new climate agreement and as momentum builds for businesses to take direct action to combat climate change.

Currently nearly half of the world’s coffee is being produced according to a sustainability standard, a figure that does not yet account for a number of recent significant investments made by the sector to support farmers in their transition to more sustainable practices. Yet only 12 percent was sold as sustainable coffee in the market.

“We need a common definition of sustainability for the coffee sector,” said Peter Seligmann, chairman and ceo of Conservation International (CI). “This will require commitments by roasters to support increased demand for sustainability. It will also require improved measurement of how far the sector has come in the sustainability journey and just how far we have to go.”
Ensuring Farmer and Family Livelihoods for Generations to Come

The Sustainable Coffee Challenge will convene industry and conservation partners to develop a common framework for sustainability in the coffee sector.

“The longevity of the coffee industry is directly linked to the social, economic and environmental conditions of coffee communities around the world, and at Starbucks we are committed to sourcing all of our coffee in the most ethical way possible that is good for the planet,” said Craig Russell, executive vice president, Starbucks Global Coffee. “We are proud to be a part of the Sustainable Coffee Challenge, a call to action for the industry focused on creating meaningful and lasting solutions to ensure farmer and family livelihoods for generations to come.”

The Sustainable Coffee Challenge comes at a time when nearly every major coffee producing region of the world is feeling the impacts of climate change. As demand increases – with consumers drinking 600 billion cups of coffee every year – warming temperatures, drought and changing weather patterns are impacting coffee production.

In addition to stimulating economic development across the industry, the effort will benefit the lives of 25 million coffee producers, the majority of whom are small-scale farmers. The Sustainable Coffee Challenge will also provide environmental benefits, including the conservation of vital forests that help fight climate change by storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and protection of freshwater resources.

CI kicks off the challenge with Starbucks and these key partners: Specialty Coffee Association of America; IDH the Sustainable Trade Initiative; 4C Association; Allegro Coffee Company; Ceres; Committee on Sustainability Assessment; Counter Culture Coffee; ECOM Agroindustrial Corp. Ltd.; Finance Alliance for Sustainable Trade; Humanist Institute for Co-operation with Developing Countries; Keurig Green Mountain Inc.; Lutheran World Relief; Pelican Rouge Coffee Roasters B.V.; S&D Coffee & Tea; Solidaridad; and SustainAbility.
What Others are Saying about the Sustainable Coffee Challenge

“USAID is a strong supporter of the Sustainable Coffee Challenge and related efforts aimed at enhancing both environmental stewardship and the livelihoods of smallholder coffee farmers in developing countries. Under the U.S. Government’s Feed the Future initiative, USAID partners with local governments, NGOs, researchers and private companies to support coffee farmers in a dozen countries around the world. Efforts like this to better define, measure and expand the market for sustainable coffee are most welcome.” Kathryn Garcia – chief of the Private Sector Engagement Division of USAID’s Bureau for Food Security

“For all the progress made in the coffee sector of the past two decades, there is much work to be done. For all the great efforts of the standards setters, NGOs and farmers themselves, sustainability in the coffee sector will ultimately depend upon the commitment of the industry itself to drive and demand better practices. This initiative will help drive demand for sustainable coffee and in so doing can accelerate progress to an agricultural product that benefits the entire supply chain. This will be to the benefit of consumers and the entire industry, including the millions of farmers whose livelihoods depend upon coffee.” Rob Cameron – executive director SustainAbility

“Sustainable agriculture is a critical component of solving the climate challenge, and to get it right we must simultaneously raise agricultural productivity, cut greenhouse gas emissions, increase climate resilience and respect the human rights of farm workers. The Sustainable Coffee Challenge offers great promise and could serve as a prototype for solving pressing sustainability challenges throughout our global agricultural system.” Mindy Lubber – president of the nonprofit sustainability advocacy organization, Ceres

“Root Capital has been working on improving farmer’s livelihoods for over 15 years. The Sustainable Coffee Challenge is an effort that goes hand to hand with our mission of delivering social, environmental and financial returns.” Willy Foote – Founder and CEO Root Capital

“The Bank is constantly exploring innovative ways of partnering with key stakeholders focused on improving the living conditions and resilience of smallholders across Latin America and the Caribbean. Demand-driven efforts such as the Sustainable Coffee Challenge can certainly complement our own efforts that will be implemented through the Sustainable Agriculture, Food and the Environment (SAFE) Platform.” Alejandro Escobar – lead agribusiness specialist, Multilateral Investment Fund, InterAmerican Development Bank

We commend an industry-wide effort to seek ways to make coffee sustainable. And just as we have farmers at the heart of Fairtrade America’s decision making, we urge stakeholders to have them at the heart of this initiative. For us, sustainability means building a better future for farmers, their families and their communities. Hans Theyer – executive director, Fairtrade America

SOURCE:STARCUCKS:[Making Coffee the World’s First Sustainably Sourced Agricultural Product->https://news.starbucks.com/news/making-coffee-the-worlds-first-sustainably-sourced-agriculture-product]