Kumwe Green Farms Limited has exported 70 tonnes of avocados from Rwanda to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on a charter flight, marking a significant test of the country’s ability to aggregate produce from smallholder farmers at commercial scale and deliver it to a demanding overseas market.

The 70,000-kilogramme shipment, equivalent to three container loads moved at once, was sourced from more than 1,000 smallholder farmers. Young women accounted for 70 per cent of the growers. The export was enabled by a market-access linkage facilitated through the Value-Added Initiative to Boost Employment (VIBE) programme, which connected Kumwe Green Farms’ organised supply network with buyers in the UAE, according to TradeMark Africa (TMA).

ALSO READ: From simple crop to cash cow: How avocado became profitable

VIBE turns export market access into jobs and farmer incomes

The VIBE programme is implemented by TradeMark Africa in partnership with Mastercard Foundation. The five-year initiative, implemented from 2023 to 2028, seeks to create dignified and fulfilling jobs for youth particularly young women, persons with disabilities and refugees by strengthening market access in horticulture, poultry, dairy and meat value chains.

To date, the programme has generated exports estimated at about $9.7 million and over 32,000 job opportunities for youth, mostly young women.

Building a reliable export chain

The significance of the avocado export lies beyond the cargo itself. It reflects the resilience of Rwanda’s horticulture sector and businesses such as Kumwe Green Farms in navigating global shocks and keeping trade and employment opportunities moving.

Fresh-produce exports depend on a chain that works without interruption, from harvesting fruit at the correct maturity and aggregating produce from dispersed farms to sorting it to buyer specifications, packing it quickly and securing transport before quality deteriorates.

Kumwe Green Farms Owner, Fred Rwigamba, noted that the enterprise was able to achieve this breakthrough by building a strong farmer network and strengthening its packaging, quality-assurance, phytosanitary compliance and export logistics to meet the buyer’s requirements.

"The VIBE programme helped shorten that journey and reduce the risks, from securing the market opportunity to providing technical support,” he said.

He further noted: "This shipment shows that Rwanda’s smallholder farmers can supply an international buyer at scale when the market, aggregation and logistics are well aligned. Seventy tonnes are not simply a large consignment; it is evidence that a dependable export chain can be built from many small farms. Our task now is to turn this breakthrough into repeat business, stronger farmer incomes and a more predictable season for the people who grow and handle the fruit.”

Export order creates jobs

Getting fruit from field to export line is labour-intensive, and Kumwe Green Farms has been intent on turning that effort into opportunity, creating jobs, especially for young people in rural areas. Preparing this consignment alone generated short-term work across the field and packhouse.

Kumwe Green Farms reported about 200 informal field roles linked to harvesting, sorting and transport, with 70 per cent of them held by young women. More than 90 per cent of the casual field workers were young women. In the packhouse, the four-day operation ran day and night, engaging 64 casual workers each day; 90 per cent were women, most of them young.

Linking export growth to inclusive jobs

"The real milestone is that an export order reverberated all the way back to more than 1,000 smallholder farmers and created paid opportunities for young women at several points in the value chain,” said Rosine Uwamariya, TradeMark Africa Rwanda Country Director.

"VIBE is designed to enable businesses such as Kumwe Green Farms to solve barriers between production, quality and the market. A great deal of work goes into meeting the quality, consistency, traceability and logistics requirements needed to make Rwanda’s avocado competitive in the global market. This shipment demonstrates what becomes possible when commercial demand, the capabilities and determination of businesses and inclusive employment are pursued together,” she said.