Rwanda is partnering with Qatar Airways Cargo to enhance the country’s air freight capacity and global market reach in a move meant to address challenges faced by agricultural exporters. The development comes to solve challenges mainly faced by those engaged in horticultural produce that is perishable and must be swiftly delivered. On October 2, the Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Mark Cyubahiro Bagabe, and RwandAir CEO Yvonne Makolo, met with Qatar Airways Chief Cargo Officer Mark Drusch and his delegation to outline concrete measures aimed at enhancing Rwanda’s air cargo capacity. ALSO READ: Govt eyes bigger air cargo fleet to meet rising horticulture export demand Bagabe told The New Times that by making a partnership between the national carrier RwandAir and Qatar Airways Cargo – one of the world’s largest air cargo carrier, Rwanda gains immediate access to a high capacity, global logistics network and increased freight frequency. The collaboration, he said, comes in direct response to the existing concerns from Rwandan agricultural exporters regarding limited cargo space, high freight costs and delays in reaching key international markets in Europe, the UK, the Middle and Far East. “By partnering with Qatar Airways Cargo, Rwanda can leverage Doha as a global transhipment hub, enables more frequent and larger freighter flights operating to and from Kigali. This will significantly boost available tonnage capacity, especially for higher-volume exporters,” he noted. He stated that through Qatar’s expansive freighter and belly-holder network, Rwanda goods can reach a big number of destinations even if RwandAir doesn’t fly there directly. “Rwandan farmers and exporters have the capacity and ambition to supply high-quality produce to the world. Therefore, we view this partnership as a catalyst for faster growth of our agri-export sector,” he said. In terms of airfreight, currently, RwandAir operates one dedicated cargo aircraft with a capacity of 23 tonnes, according to the national airline. Exporters welcome the partnership a game-changer Speaking to The New Times, Robert Rukundo, Chairman of the Horticulture Exporters’ Association of Rwanda commended the move as a long-overdue solution to limited persistent air cargo limitations. “We believe with Qatar's air freight base, the issue will be resolved and that will open up other opportunities for the regional exporters as well, including Rwandan exporters. So, it positions us to be a hub for cargo in the country, which we appreciate,” he pointed out. He added that exporters often find themselves unable to ship their full capacity. For example, an exporter needing 10 tonnes of cargo space may only be allocated two tonnes per flight, especially during high passenger travel seasons when freight on passenger planes is limited. “With Qatar’s freighters, we expect exporters will finally be able to move full volumes without restrictions. That will drive up investment and increase export revenues,” he noted. Unlocking access to untapped markets Rukundo said that Rwanda’s current [cargo] routes are limited mostly to the UK, France, Bussels, and Dubai. Qatar Airways opens access to a vast network of markets across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East where it operates. “But Qatar opens up to a bigger, wider market of over, I think, close to 100 plus destinations,” he said, adding that if that partnership is operationalised, then it implies expanding markets. While cargo prices have slightly increased recently, Rukundo said RwandAir’s rates remain relatively competitive compared to other carriers like Turkish Airlines and KLM, which are considered more expensive. Another carrier, Ethiopian Airline, offers prices that are almost the same as RwandAir’s but said that Rwandan exporters prefer the national airline which connects to destinations through direct flights, which is more convenient. Under the fifth Strategic Plan for Agriculture Transformation (PSTA 5), which runs from 2024 through 2029, Rwanda set targets to increase agricultural export revenues from $839 million in 2023/24 to over $1.5 billion by 2028/29, representing a 78.7 per cent rise. While traditional exports like tea and coffee will continue to play a major role in Rwanda’s agricultural export revenues, non-traditional crops such as chili and avocado are growing faster and offer strong potential for export diversification. Non-traditional exports refer to crops recently introduced to international markets after being grown primarily for domestic use. Under the PSTA 5 strategy, chili export revenues are expected to increase eightfold from $6 million in 2023/24 to $48 million by 2029, while avocado exports are projected to more than double from $6.3 million to $12.9 million. Meanwhile, coffee exports are set to rise from $78.7 million to $115.5 million and tea from $107.7 million to $164.4 million over the same period. PSTA 5 aims to expand production zones for crops like chili, avocado, French beans, and passion fruit, with a focus on protected agriculture, traceability, food safety, and post-harvest infrastructure. These emerging horticulture value chains have shown strong market potential and are key to Rwanda’s export diversification strategy.
