Rwanda exports 1st batch of dried chiles to China

Rwanda on Wednesday delivered the first consignment of dried chile pepper to China to become the first African country to debut the product on the Chinese market. The consignment of 200 kilograms of the product was shipped from Rwanda to the central Chinese city of Changsha.

The move was made possible after Diego Twahirwa, a young Rwandan entrepreneur in agribusiness, secured a deal with China's GK International, where Rwanda will export 50,000 tons of dried chiles, every year, for a period of five years.

According to Twahirwa, the consignment delivered on Wednesday was a sample with a bigger one expected to be seen off on Aug 9. Yu Jian, chairman of GK International said that the imported 200 kg of dried chiles will be sold to dealers and then given to customers and food processing plants as samples.

The move is expected to greatly increase the volume of Rwandan exports to China as well as generate more revenue for producers. It will also enable farmers to increase the production since China has the world's largest number of dried chile pepper consumers.

It will also help the farmers attain and maintain product standards so that the country can secure as many deals as possible under the protocol.

"This new market will increase our income with its unlimited capacity, making it a sustainable market. It also gives a reliable market to local farmers for their chile," Twahirwa said.