For years, farmers have watched tonnes of onions and other horticultural produce rot in their fields because market prices collapsed before they could sell. That could soon change, as five new post-harvest centres expected to become operational in November are set to give farmers in major production areas the ability to dry, cure, store and sell their produce when market conditions are more favourable. The facilities, being developed under an $11 million government project implemented through the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB) in partnership with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), are expected to support more than 5,000 farmers in Rubavu, Rulindo, Nyagatare and Bugesera districts. For farmers such as Yvonne Nyirambanjinka of Rubavu District, the facilities could help prevent the kind of losses she suffered after investing heavily in onion production. ALSO READ: Cutting post-harvest losses key to Rwanda’s food security drive When onion prices collapsed, Nyirambanjinka faced a painful choice: harvest her crop at a loss or leave it to rot in the field. The mother of four had invested Rwf1.2 million in 4kg of Azira onion seeds around 2020, borrowing from a bank to finance the venture. But when the crop was ready, the market was flooded with onions and prices plunged. “At the time, some of us were so badly affected that we even thought about suicide because of the losses and the bank debts,” she said. With children in school and a loan to repay, Nyirambanjinka could not afford to abandon farming. She sought another loan and invested more money in an effort to recover her losses. Her experience illustrates a wider problem facing horticultural farmers: producing more does not necessarily translate into higher incomes when there is insufficient storage and market demand cannot absorb the harvest. “Sometimes we harvested when onions were already abundant on the market. The prices would fall so much that the cost of harvesting was higher than what we would earn from selling the crop,” she said. In some seasons, onions have fetched as little as Rwf80 per kilogramme, forcing farmers to leave part of their produce in the fields. Nyirambanjinka now hopes the new facilities will give farmers more room to manoeuvre when prices fall. “Having a place where we can preserve our onions would help us avoid selling at very low prices. We could store them and sell them when the market improves,” she said. ALSO READ: $11m horticulture centres to cut post harvest losses When harvesting costs more than the crop Nicodem Sebera, president of KOBATU Cooperative in Kanzenze Sector, Rubavu District, said farmers have repeatedly faced the same challenge. The cooperative has 90 members, including 52 women. Sebera said the problem became particularly severe during the Covid-19 period, when farmers increased production after taking loans, only to find that markets could not absorb their harvest. “We produced a lot, but the market could not take everything. Some of the onions remained in the fields and were eventually lost,” he said. According to Sebera, producing a kilogramme of onions costs farmers about Rwf350. When the selling price rises above Rwf400, farmers can cover their costs and make a small return. But during periods of oversupply, prices can fall to around Rwf100 per kilogramme. “At Rwf100, you could calculate and find that the money you would get would not even cover the cost of harvesting. Some farmers therefore chose to leave the onions in the field, where they would rot, or give them to livestock,” he said. The losses can be compounded by sharp price swings that occur soon after harvest. Sebera said a kilogramme that fetched about Rwf300 from farmers in May was selling for around Rwf800 later, illustrating how much value farmers can lose when they have no option but to sell immediately. ALSO READ: Horticulture sector players tipped on how to reduce post-harvest losses In 2022, KOBATU Cooperative spent about Rwf7 million on onion production but recovered only Rwf2 million, Sebera said. Under normal market conditions, the same investment could generate about Rwf18 million in returns. He believes onion curing and storage could help farmers avoid such losses. “Once the post-harvest centre is operational, farmers will not have to rush to sell when prices are low. Cured onions can be kept for about six months, giving us time to wait for better prices,” he said. Centres to extend farmers’ selling window Aimable Rusingizandekwe, project manager at NAEB, said the facilities are being developed under the Smart Food Value Chain Management (SFVCM) project, a four-year initiative implemented by the government through NAEB in partnership with KOICA. The $11 million project focuses on three areas: construction of a National Post-Harvest Centre and four Local Post-Harvest Centres; capacity building for farmers, exporters and facility operators; and digitalisation of the chilli and onion value chains. The centres are being established in high-production areas of Rubavu, Rulindo, Nyagatare and Bugesera districts, with the four local facilities expected to support more than 5,000 farmers. Each Local Post-Harvest Centre can receive up to 9.6 tonnes of chilli and 34.4 tonnes of onions twice a week. The facilities include temperature-controlled drying rooms, as well as areas for washing, sorting, grading and storage. The National Post-Harvest Centre can receive and process up to 40 tonnes of chilli twice a week. Rusingizandekwe said the facilities will allow farmers to preserve produce when market demand is low and sell later when conditions improve. “When production is high and farmers outpace market demand, prices fall. Some farmers then leave their produce in the fields because harvesting it is no longer worthwhile,” he said. The facilities are expected to dry and cure about 1,168 tonnes of chilli and 3,650 tonnes of onions annually. Properly dried chilli and cured onions can be stored for up to six months, according to NAEB. The project is expected to improve crop quality, particularly for export markets, while reducing spoilage, supporting more stable prices and improving farmers’ access to markets through centralised collection, sorting and packaging. Construction of the National Post-Harvest Centre and four local centres cost Rwf4.8 billion. Beyond the infrastructure, NAEB is conducting training on post-harvest handling, packaging and food safety standards, including Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), to help farmers and facility operators make better use of the centres. The project also includes an ICT component to digitalise the chilli and onion value chains and improve the flow of information from farms to markets. “Farmers need to produce with the market in mind. Information should flow from the farm to the market so that they can plan their production according to demand,” Rusingizandekwe said. The buildings have been completed, while equipment from South Korea is expected to be supplied and installed between September and October. The centres are expected to become operational in November 2026 after installation of the equipment. The project targets a reduction in post-harvest losses of chilli from 17.2 per cent to 8.7 per cent, and onion losses from 15.4 per cent to 7.7 per cent in the targeted districts.
