China has imported its first dried chili peppers from Rwanda to the central Chinese city of Changsha, authoritative sources confirmed to APA Monday in Kigali.
The imported 200 kg of dried chilies will be sold to dealers and then given to customers and food processing plants as samples,” said Yu Jian, chairman of GK International in Hunan, the importer in a statement obtained by APA in Kigali.
The move follows a deal secured by Diego Twahirwa, a young Rwandan entrepreneur in agribusiness and China’s GK International,according to the contract.
It is expected that the supplier in Rwanda will export 50,000 tonnes of dried chili peppers to Hunan Province within five years, and the trade can be settled in the Chinese currency.
Before imports from Rwanda, only seven countries were allowed to export dried chili peppers to China.
This is not the first time Rwanda exports dried chili to an international market.
The East African country has previously exported to India, a market exporters say has not been highly favorable due to the small cost of the product, which made it a risky business.
CU/abj/APA