Rwanda will by 2016 have sufficient rice locally produced and this will put an end to importing rice from neighbouring countries.
About 35% of rice consumed in Rwanda is imported from neighbouring countries.
Rice prices continue to rise making it unaffordable to the local population.
The lowest quality rice known as ‘Kigori’on the local rwanda market is produced locally. It costs about Frw 600 per Kilogram. Imported High quality rice costs about Frw 20000 for a bag of 25kilograms.
The ministry of agriculture has in the last three years established mega rice processing factories in the country especially one at Ntende, Ndatemwa in Gatsibo district which was recently visited by President Paul Kagame.
Hundreds of hectares of mashlands have been carefully ploughed in Eastern Province to pave way for increased rice production capable of satisfying the local market.
The permanent secretary in the ministry of agriculture says that more hectares of mash lands will be cultivated to increase rice production to cater for the large local demand for rice.
However, upland rice has not been adopted. Rice farming is still conducted in low lying marsh lands. Neighbouring Uganda has in the past five years embraced upland rice farming which rapidly increased rice supply to the local Uganda market and export to neighbouring countries like Rwanda and DRC.
According to the ministry of agriculture, rice in rwanda is currently grown on 15000 Hectares of land but reclaimed marsh lands total 22000Hectares.
Government targets to increase acreage upto 35000 Hactres by 2017.
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