Essential oils: Hitimana builds an export enterprise in Kirehe District

At a geranium farm in Gahara Sector, Kirehe District - about a three-hour-drive from Kigali - Dr Nicholas Hitimana stretches his arm to touch a plant which releases a sweet scent. Hitimana, 55, has chosen to venture into essential oils in Rwanda. An oil is “essential” in the sense that it contains the “essence of” the plant’s fragrance – the characteristic fragrance of the plant from which it is derived. They are used in aromatherapy; the use of aroma to improve health condition; meditation, respiratory support, skin health, and tress relief, among other uses. “Essential oils are about fragrance; that is what we sell,” the agribusiness entrepreneur told The New Times. The oils are the key ingredients to the multi-million dollar perfume and fragrance business. He has been exporting about 1.5 tonnes (equivalent to 1,500 kilogrammes) of essential oils per year. Between 300 and 500 kilogrammes of the exported oils is geranium oil. This year, 2018, the company wants to reach 2.5 tonnes. “There is a ready market for essential oils, and currently, we cannot get enough products to satisfy our buyers’ demand,” he said adding that it is a growing market because these products are becoming popular and being used by more people. Some of the essential oil products, he said, are used at high-end places in Rwanda such as Serena Hotel, Marriott Hotel. Other oils come from lemongrass, patchouli and rosemary. And, this year, he introduced lavender. Prices of the oils vary. For instance, a kilogramme of Geranium is about $200 (about Rwf160,000), while that of patchouli fetches about $90, about $30 for lemon grass, and $20 for eucalyptus. Under his social enterprise Ikirezi Natural Products, he exports the different oils to buyers in South Africa, UK, US, and Canada. Hitimana founded the company in 2005, as a social or community-interest agribusiness which partners with small farmers in Rwanda to produce and harvest essential oil. The company works with about 100 farmers who grow the plants on some 30 hectares of land and supply it raw materials. About 20 of the 30 hectares are used for geranium production. An estimated 70 percent of the farmers are women, some widows. In 1989, Hitimana graduated for a bachelor’s degree in agronomy at the former National University of Rwanda (currently University of Rwanda). He pursued his studies, and in 2001, he got a PhD in crop and insect interactivity from University of Edinburgh, in Scotland. Geranium is a perennial herb which can be harvested up to four years after initial planting. Talking about benefits of growing geranium essential oil crops, he said that 30 kgs of its oils worth about $6,000 (about Rwf5 million) can be generated per hectare per year. A farmer gets Rwf150 a kilogramme and can harvest between 15 and 20 tonnes per hectare per year, which is between Rwf2 - 3 million. Farmers’ testimonies Vincent Habimana, 33, started growing geranium in 2007, on about half a hectare farmland, and can collect about 4 tonnes worth about Rwf400,000in three months. The father of three said that the cultivation of the crop helped him improve his living conditions as he harvests and uses the income to develop himself. “I managed to build my own house after living as a tenant. I also bought about four pieces of land,” he said Hitimana’s target is to export about 20 tonnes of essential oils annually. He has installed modern distillation equipment worth $250,000. Among the difficulties they meet includes lack of enough land and long dry spells that adversely affect their productivity. Effective drip irrigation, he pointed out, can be a solution to the problem as it can ensure sustainable harvests during drought through efficient use of water. The global essential oils market is projected to reach around $11.19 billion by 2022, at a compound annual growth rate of 8.83% from 2017 to 2022, according to industry experts. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Essential oils: Hitimana builds an export enterprise in Kirehe District