By Seif Gracien Hasingizwimana/Kigali,Rwanda,
Horticulture productivity has increased across several crops supported by the Commercialization and De-risking for Agricultural Transformation (CDAT) Project, with farmers also earning billions of francs from chilli and fresh bean exports, according to project figures.
The figures show that about 4.5 tonnes of seed have been distributed, while approximately 354 hectares of demonstration farms have been established among cooperatives across 15 districts.
The project has also recorded increases in productivity for several horticultural crops since its interventions began. During Season A, chili productivity increased from 7.4 tonnes per hectare in 2023 to 8.9 tonnes per hectare in 2025, representing a 20.3 percent increase. French bean productivity rose from eight tonnes per hectare to 10.3 tonnes per hectare during the same period, an increase of 28.8 percent.
During Season B, chili productivity increased from seven tonnes per hectare in 2023 to eight tonnes per hectare in 2025, while onion productivity rose from 13 tonnes per hectare in 2024 to 14.8 tonnes per hectare in 2025. French bean productivity recorded a larger increase, rising from eight tonnes per hectare in 2023 to 11.8 tonnes per hectare in 2025, equivalent to a 47.5 percent increase.
During Season C, chili productivity increased from six tonnes per hectare in 2023 to 10 tonnes per hectare in 2025, representing a 66.7 percent increase.
Chantal Muhoza, a horticulture specialist with RAB/SPIU under the CDAT Project, said farmers had previously faced challenges including limited access to markets, difficulties transporting produce, inadequate information about markets and agricultural inputs, and gaps in knowledge of good agronomic practices.
She said CDAT responded through farmer training, field demonstrations, study visits, cooperative organization, erosion-control measures, matching grants, and stronger market linkages. Post-harvest infrastructure has also been introduced to help farmers preserve produce and move it to markets.
The project also established demonstration farms within cooperatives to give farmers practical opportunities to learn improved production techniques. According to project figures, about 4.5 tonnes of seed have been distributed, while approximately 354 hectares of demonstration farms have been established among cooperatives across 15 districts.
The changes in productivity are also reflected in tomato farming in Ruhango District, where farmers say improved seeds, training and stronger market connections have changed both production levels and prices. Abiyunze Kinazi Cooperative, operating in Burimo Cell, Kinazi Sector, has 610 members, including 290 men and 320 women. Its members cultivate tomatoes and rice in the Kanyegenyege marshland, which stretches across Kinazi Sector in Ruhango and Busoro Sector in Nyanza District. The farmers rotate the two crops by season.
Boniface Bavakure, president of Abiyunze Kinazi Cooperative, said poor-quality seed, limited technical knowledge and weak market access had previously constrained tomato production. Before working with CDAT, farmers were using the seed varieties they sourced themselves, harvesting between seven and eight tonnes per hectare.
Some of those varieties were difficult to harvest and transport because the tomatoes were soft and easily damaged, making it difficult to find reliable buyers.
The situation changed after farmers received improved seed and training on good agricultural practices. Today, on one hectare where they have harvested about six times, they can get between 13 and 14 tonnes. Bavakure attributed the increase to both improved seed and training that helped farmers determine the appropriate planting density, fertilizer application, timing and correct use of crop protection products. He added that the harvest could increase further because the current crop had not yet completed its production cycle.
Beatrice Mukarwego, a member of Abiyunze Kinazi Cooperative, said farmers previously relied on seed they sourced individually, without adequate technical knowledge on how to maximize production. The earlier seed varieties produced lower yields and tomatoes that were less firm.
The improved varieties have brought better production and tangible benefits to her household, helping her buy three goats, two pigs, and pay school fees for her child this season.
The increase in production has also been accompanied by improved access to buyers and higher prices. Bavakure said farmers previously sold their tomatoes in small local markets, where a crate could sometimes fetch as little as Rwf2,000 to Rwf3,000. With buyers linked to them through CDAT, the cooperative initially sold a crate for about Rwf12,000, while the price has since reached Rwf18,000. The stronger and less fragile tomatoes are better suited to transportation, reducing losses between the farm and the market.
Antoinette Mukandayisabye, a tomato trader and member of Duharanire Kwigira Cooperative in Nyarugenge, Kigali, is among the buyers purchasing produce from Abiyunze Kinazi.
She said that the quality of tomatoes from the cooperative has improved compared with previous seasons. The cooperative previously struggled with tomato varieties that resulted in significant losses during transportation, where transporting five tonnes could leave three tonnes damaged.
Mukandayisabye said her cooperative supplies tomatoes to markets in Rwanda as well as Tanzania and Kenya, making quality and durability important considerations for buyers. The improved tomatoes from Ruhango are now competitive with produce from other markets. Her cooperative buys a crate from the farmers at Rwf18,000 and can sell it for between Rwf22,000 and Rwf23,000, depending on the market. Improved quality has also reduced the reputational risk for traders, allowing them to compete without embarrassment.
The project’s support has also been linked to increased participation in export markets. According to project figures, 4,000 tonnes and 319 kilograms of chilli produced by 10 cooperatives were exported, generating approximately Rwf2.16 billion for farmers. Fresh bean exports reached 3,294 tonnes from 17 cooperatives and generated approximately Rwf1.62 billion for farmers. Combined, the two export categories amounted to more than 7,294 tonnes of produce and generated approximately Rwf3.78 billion for farmers, according to the project figures.
