Rwanda has announced an ambitious program to plant over 40 million tea seedlings across the country to “reshape Rwanda’s tea sector for a sustainable future,” the Agriculture ministry said on Monday.
“Over the next four years, a total of nearly 40 million seedlings will be planted across 2,410 hectares as part of the expansion and infilling process,” according to National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB) mandated to develop and enhance Rwanda’s agricultural exports: coffee, tea, horticulture and more.
NAEB revealed that the first-year target includes infilling 310 hectares of existing plantations while also expanding by an additional 600 hectares.
The agency noted that so far, 8,538,000 tea seedlings have been produced, contributing towards the 19,934,000 seedlings needed to meet these annual targets.
“The tea expansion and infilling will be implemented across 1,790 hectares and 620 hectares respectively, that are distributed in 6 Tea cooperatives in Karongi, Nyamasheke, Rutsiro, and Nyabihu in the Western Province, Nyaruguru in the Southern Province, and Rulindo in the Northern Province,” NAEB says.
Meanwhile, under the plan, tea farmer cooperatives will receive tea leaf collection trucks, electronic weighing scales, servers for tea data storage, and regular training on new farming techniques through Farmers Field Schools (FFS) to boost production.
“By enhancing Rwanda’s tea value chain, NAEB is positioning the country to increase both the quality and volume of its tea exports, which are vital to Rwanda’s economy,”says Alexis Nkurunziza, Traditional commodities (including tea) Division Manager at NAEB.
Nkurunziza also noted, “this initiative is not only about growing the tea sector but also about providing sustainable economic opportunities for smallholder farmers in the tea-producing regions.”
