Govt, CRS commit to support Urban women in horticulture trade affected by COVID-19

By Elias Hakizimana.

The government of Rwanda through the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, the ministry of Gender and Family Promotion and other development partners have committed to support women whose businesses based in horticulture trade were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The move will follow the research conducted by Catholic Relief Service (CRS) in partnership with Three Stones International, highlighting key challenges and available opportunities in a bid to set ways forward in revamping this business.

The study was conducted in Rwamagana, Rubavu and Kigali city to see issues facing women and kinds of supports they need.

Giving her testimony during the urban women horticultural traders study validation workshop on Thursday, August 12, 2021 in Kigali, Claudine Nyirabatoni, one of the women who experienced huge losses during the lock-down said that the situation caused even the total loss of her start-up capital.

“I have been working horticulture trade in Kimironko market for two years ago, during Covid-19 lock down, we faced many losses as we were working in shifts of few people, our fruits and vegetables rotten from stores as many of us used to be absent. Lack of efficient stores like cold rooms (refrigerators) decelerated our trade development, leading to the total loss of our start-up capital. We want support from our government in order to retrieve our businesses.” Nyirabatoni said.

Sandrine Irakoze is also a fruit trader in Giporoso-Remera sector in Gasabo district. She said the movement restrictions due to Covid-19 pandemic brought a huge loss to her business.

“The entire fruits could rotten because we had no clients coming, If I could sell for example 10 kgs of fruits in one or two days before the pandemic, a week could end up without selling the same quantity.” She said.

“Our primary goal is to ensure that miserable households including those of women achieve food security and economic development, this study comes as result of discussions with the Ministry of agriculture in horticulture value chain, the study was conducted by CRS with strong support with different govt institutions to ensure it achieves effective results.” Said Dr Jude-Marie Banatte, CRS Country Representative.

Finding from results revealed opportunities and challenges that can involve different stakeholders to address challenges, create more jobs, create tangible interventions.

Agriculture is very important not only to Rwanda but also to the regional perspective, presenting 30 percent of the GDP. But reduced to 20 t0 25% during Covid-19 according to Dr. Jean-Chrysostome Ngabitsinze, the state Minister in the ministry of agriculture and animal resources.

Some highlighted barriers that still hinder the progress of women in horticulture trade include low access to finance, commodities, lack of quality of commodities and lack of market linkages among others.

The research highlighted various opportunities women in urban horticulture trade can tap into tin order to fast track development of their businesses such as available initiatives by the government to support women and youth in agriculture, cooperatives and associations that offer the connections to urban women.

The study recommends enhanced trans-sectoral communication, collaboration and monitoring systems between relevant actors responsible for strengthening the horticulture trade and empowering UWHTs, increased financial support and availability of accessible formal financial services for UWHTs and improved organization of UWHTs through shifting into formal market and/or being organized into formal cooperatives and informal associations.

Prudence Rubingisa, the city mayor of Kigali said that there is a need to set up viable mechanisms that reflect the city’s slums and movements of women in this business before coming up with solutions that respond to their issues.

“Particularly, those women living in the slums, we are yet to hit our target, but those who have been financially hit by the pandemic, we are looking way to help them recover their businesses and avoiding street vendors, as matter of choice they make money, we can see how we can approach them by setting the monitoring mechanisms that are viable. We need again to encourage the micro savings from the women themselves and their cooperatives, to keep growing their businesses in their future.” He added.

Women in horticulture trade from various corners of Kigali City, Rwamagana and Rubavu were attending the study validation workshop in Kigali, respecting the guidelines to prevent COVID-19 pandemic.

Pointing on the issue of access to finance, Pascal Ngendahimana, an official from Local Administrative Entities Development Agency (LODA) said that women and youth in horticulture trade who are in cooperatives have opportunity to get to up Rwf7million loan.

Prof. Jeannette Bayisenge, the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion said that there are many opportunities to support women in horticulture trade, emphasizing on the role of men and women in the current implementation of the set recommendations by the research.

“That is what our technical team will work on and, especially, women cross borders in Rubavu and Rusizi, will be trained on some sessions including household management of income in order to empower them economically.” Bayisenge noted.