Rwanda is due to launch a first ever new fertiliser making plant as part of national efforts to reduce he amount of money spent on importing fertilisers, the Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) disclosed Monday.
The project is a joint venture involving Morocco’s OCP Group – one of the leading exporters of phosphate fertilisers in the world, the government of Rwanda and a local firm—Agro Processing Trust Corporation (APTC), the statement said.
The plant, which is being constructed in Bugesera District at a cost of $38 million (about Rwf33 billion), will have the capacity to blend 100,000 tonnes of fertilisers.
It said that once the factory is established by end of this year, Rwanda will have a surplus of fertilisers, potentially opening up a new avenue for export diversification.
It said that the factory which is part of the Caravan – a mobile soil-testing laboratory project is expected to improve soil fertility management and raise farm productivity – which was launched in April this year.
The factory is also expected to reduce the price that farmers pay for fertilisers, which is needed to drive the growth of agriculture—one of the most important sectors of the Rwandan economy, it said.
CU/as/APA