Prime Minister Dr. Justin Nsengiyumva has announced that Rwanda has doubled its foreign exchange earnings from agricultural and livestock exports.
Presenting to Parliament on Thursday, the Prime Minister said export earnings grew from $465 million in 2018/2019 to $893 million in 2024/2025, and are expected to reach $1.5 billion this year.
“Today, almost half of Rwanda’s exports come from agriculture and livestock. These include coffee, tea, vegetables, fruits, flowers, and other products that are now processed through industry,” Dr. Nsengiyumva said.
The government aims to increase exports by 13% every year and to double total export revenues to $7.3 billion by 2029.
According to the National Institute of Statistics, agriculture and livestock employ 70% of Rwandans—with 55% working in livestock alone.
Employment in this sector has risen from 41.7% to 48%. The sector also contributes about 25% of the national GDP, which grew from $754 per person in 2017 to $1,040 in 2024.
To sustain this growth, the government has raised the agriculture budget from Rwf129 billion in 2017 to over Rwf225 billion in the 2025/2026 fiscal year, a 75% increase in eight years.
Dr. Nsengiyumva also noted that the sector supports industrial development, employing 52,700 people today compared to 84,300 in 2017. These efforts have helped reduce poverty levels from 39.8% in 2017 to 27.4% in 2024.
1 comment
That’s good news indeed. We go….
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