The National Agricultural Exports Board (NAEB) has donated 5 trucks worth Rwf160million to boost productivity in tea cooperatives.

The trucks which were delivered yesterday, under the PRICE project, will benefit tea farmers in the Districts of Karongi, Nyamagabe, Nyamasheke, Rutsiro and Nyaruguru.

Issa Nkurunziza, the Tea Division Manager in NAEB said the support is also part of the strategy to help address identified logistical gaps resulting from lack of transport for farmers to deliver tea to the factories.

"The five beneficiary cooperatives have been facing logistical challenges and delays to make deliveries; It is therefore within our mandate as NAEB to support farmers so they can improve on quality and boost production of agriculture exports,” Nkurunziza said adding that the support will reach all cooperatives across the country.

In 2014, government through NAEB signed agreements with cooperatives and tea factories to scale up tea production and exports.

Under the agreements, the export board pledged to provide capacity building and training programmes to ensure best agricultural practices, among farmers.

It also pledged to support farmers with most of the logistical support and market information.

And so far, Nkurunziza says they are training farmer co-operatives and other stakeholders in best agro-practices to improve the quality of green leaf.

According to Venuste Habiyaremye, the Chairman of COTHEGAB tea cooperative in Nyamagabe District, the trucks will boost efficiency in terms of delivery.

Rwanda’s tea export receipts increased to $18.8 million (Rwf14.9 billion) during the first three months of 2016, up from $17.7 million during the same period last year.

The country exported 6,811,095 million kilos of tea during the first quarter of the year, fetching about $18.8 million.

NAEB targets to increase tea export earnings to $94.9 million by 2018.

To achieve this, NAEB has drafted a new tea leaf handling model to boost quality along value chain and enhance the sector’s competitiveness.

Rwanda’s tea sector consists of more than 11 factories and six tea projects with an average annual production of 23,000 metric tonnes of dry tea.

The plan is to increase the number to 16 operational tea factories while improving on the old factories.

The export body is currently distributing seedlings to farmers.

The plan is to distribute over 43 million seedlings of tea by the end of 2017.

The initiative could see the country’s annual tea export earnings double to $147 million by 2017.

According to second Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy, government wants to increase acreage for tea plantations from the current 25,547 hectares to 38,000 hectares.

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