Have you ever looked for the quality and standardized honey for consumption or business but you could not get it? Do you always think that all honey products have added ingredients? That is because you have not tested Rutsiro Honey produced by the Rutsiro Honey Limited factory. It is at Rutsiro Honey Limited you can get processed and well-packaged honey products certified with Rwanda Standards Board (RSB)’s S-Mark and tested to be traded in Rwanda and beyond. Earlier on Friday, September 3, the National Industrial Research and Development Agency (NIRDA) held an event to showcase the Rutsiro Honey Limited factory that processes honey products in order to attract more clients for its final products both locally and beyond. The factory Processes quality honey products owing them to the potential of its geographical location endowed with Natural forests namely Gishwati and Mukura which facilitate beekeeping activities. Gracing the event, the Director-General of the National Industrial Research and Development Agency, Dr. Christian Sekomo Birame lauded the factory management and beekeepers’ cooperatives for efforts put in to keep the factory running smoothly. NIRDA DG Dr Sekomo being showcased some of honey products from the factory. / Courtesy He also assured them of continued support to increase production and venture into processing more products. “We will keep supporting Rutsiro Honey limited for it to be more productive, it is our responsibility to build the capacity of the staff, equip them with management and marketing skills, help them acquire more upgraded equipment and ensure that we work with other public and private institutions to see how more products can reach the local market and beyond,” he said. New products to be introduced Sekomo added that while the factory produces liquid honey at the moment, it intends to start production of other honey products in the near future. These include honey wine, honey, and Pineapple wine, honey and passion wine, wine, and Ginger wine, he mentioned. Some of the honey products processed by Rutsiro Honey Ltd. Currently, Rutsiro Honey ltd processes liquid honey packaged in different sizes for clients to choose what they want. It has the capacity to produce 500kg (half a ton) of honey per day. However, due to Covid-19 pandemic coupled with the limited market affected the production but the factory is working hard to recover. Sekomo also reiterates that more efforts will be put in both by the factory management and NIRDA to increase the market penetration in the country and beyond. Jean Damascene Hakizimana is the president of Union des Cooperative des Apiculuteurs de Gishwati, a union of five beekeeping cooperatives. He said that this factory provided a market for their products. “We used to practice traditional beekeeping before this factory started and this affected us as we worked hard but produced less,” he said. “But after the factory started, we acquired training on best practices and acquired modern beehives, we changed the way we practice beekeeping, and the produce increased significantly,” recalls Hakizimana, adding that the prices are now better. “We now sell the whole produce to Rutsiro Honey Limited at a better price unlike previously when they sold it at a giveaway price,” he added. According to Chantal Ntirakamineza, the factory has made progress in the production of quality honey despite challenges. “We commit to keep working hard to boost production as we will soon start the production of new honey products, we want to add more value to honey and we have already ordered new equipment to start the production of four mentioned products,” she said. The Mayor of Rutsiro district Emerance Ayinkamiye also said the factory establishment was long overdue. “The establishment of Rutsiro Honey Ltd was long overdue, our district is rich in natural and artificial forests making it attractive to beekeeping, the factory has a positive impact on beekeepers regrouped under cooperatives,” she said. “Our wish is to see the factory expanding and contributing to the district’s development as well as benefiting more people,” she added. Apart from Rutsiro Honey Ltd, NIRDA also has two other Community Processing Centres (CPCs) namely Rwamagana Banana Wine CPC that produces Banana Wine products as well as Banana beer-based alcoholic beverage and Nyabihu Potato Company Limited that adds value to potato products namely crisps, chips, peeled potatoes ready to be cooked among others. According to officials, all the factories are currently operational and there is a hope that the production will keep increasing as they have the basic requirement to produce more.
