Food cooperatives have played a big role in ensuring steady food production for Rwandan citizens, says Commerce Minister Monique Nsanzabaganwa, commending their efforts in the fight against a global food crisis.

She was speaking at the first ever celebration of the international cooperative day on Sunday, Aug. 3, at the Telecom house.

Its aim is to increase awareness about cooperatives and promote the movement’s successes and ideals of international solidarity, economic efficiency, equality, and world peace.

In an interview, the State Minister for Trade and Investment, Vincent Karega, also explained that with the world food crisis at stake, agriculture remains a very important component of national development.

"Farmers cooperatives provided a steady food output, thus mitigating food shortages especially in urban Rwanda,” he said. "Their role in this economy contributes to Vision 2020 as they employ many, pool together the available resources and cooperate out of poverty.”   

Karega also added that the country’s strategy of fighting poverty is through the establishment of cooperative companies, meant to empower citizens economically.

In 2005, the government took a decision to consider cooperatives as a strong poverty eradication tool with measures in place to allow only strong and viable cooperatives that can improve the social welfare of the population to develop.

Government then set up the Co-operative Task Force which was instituted to promote cooperative formation.

A national cooperatives promotion policy was also drafted to regulate the formation and institutional framework of the cooperative movement. 

Strategies and action plans aimed at orienting and ensuring that cooperatives became a viable tool for social-economic development were also laid out.

Karega said the government is very committed to advancing policies and strategies which promote cooperative development.

Sixty-five per cent of the 2,300 cooperatives are agricultural-based while the balance lies in crafts. 

According to Damien Mugabo, Chairman of the Cooperative Task, cooperatives are the leading employment creation and poverty reduction strategy that Rwanda has embarked on.

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