Rwanda has signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources and the Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-Chain to develop cold-chain infrastructure. The agreement focuses on rehabilitating and operationalising 10 cold-room packhouse facilities across the country.
The facilities are located in Rulindo, Rwamagana, Gatsibo, Ngoma, Nyanza, and Karongi, and are intended to support more than 400,000 smallholder farmers in key production areas. The aim is to link farmers to markets, reduce post-harvest losses, and support value addition and export development.
Each site will include processing and cold storage systems with temperature-controlled environments, solar-powered energy, and post-harvest handling infrastructure. These systems are intended to support product movement from farms to markets while extending shelf life and maintaining quality.
Assessments indicate that Rwanda's fruit and vegetable cold-chain market covers more than 495,000 hectares across over 13,000 production sites. The 10-packhouse network will cover 36 per cent of this market, serving more than 4,800 production sites and supporting annual output exceeding 2.3 million metric tons. Even at lower utilisation levels, the facilities are expected to operate at full capacity.
The project also includes the development of food corridors linking producers to domestic markets as well as regional and international export channels. The facilities will operate under food safety and quality standards, including HACCP and Rwanda GAP, with plans to progress toward Global G.A.P. certification.
Under the agreement, the Ministry will provide policy coordination, while ACES will manage technical design, implementation, training, and business model development. The facilities will also function as centres for research, innovation, and skills development, overseen by a joint steering committee.
"Strengthening cold-chain systems will not only reduce post-harvest losses but also open new opportunities for value addition, exports, and increased rural incomes," said Dr. Olivier Kamana. "This initiative is about building inclusive systems that enable farmers to actively participate in the economy through innovation and sustainable investment."
"This project addresses that gap by integrating cooling, logistics, standards, skills, and market access into a single system, positioning Rwanda as a model for climate-smart agricultural development," said Professor Toby Peters.
The initiative is also intended to support further development of cold-chain systems across Africa, with participation from investors, agribusinesses, logistics providers, and market off-takers.
Source: Kilimo News
