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Exporters call for removal of unnecessary trade barriers

Xinhua, June 11, 2016 Adjust font size:

Members of the Rwanda export sector have called for the removal of unnecessary domestic trade barriers that inhibit the growth of the sector.

Pierre Munyura Kamere, president of Coffee Exporters and Processors Association of Rwanda (CEPAR) made the call on Friday on the sidelines of Rwanda national exporters forum in the Capital, Kigali.

"We face challenges of high costs and deficient infrastructure, limited export financing especially for small players, unstable supply of raw materials, domestic skills shortage, weak system of innovation in products and processes which impend our efforts to strengthen our sector," he noted.

Kamere said the removal of barriers will help strengthen the sector and contribute to sustained economic development in the region.

He added that removing barriers, especially technical regulations, will facilitate ease movement of food across the region, and as well as intra-trade.

The meeting focused on enhancing the growth of key exports such as tea, coffee, minerals manufacturing, agro- processing among others.

Participants dwelt on export performance and challenges and required interventions to boost exports and bring down the trade deficit to manageable proportions.

Rwanda seeks to increase exports achieve its export promotion strategy.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Francois Kanimba, Rwanda minister of trade and industry, said that the government is doing what it takes to promote export sector.

"We have met with exporters, and discussed key issues that present opportunities for export growth in various sectors and major constraints inhibiting growth and what can be done to remove all the unnecessary trade barriers. The government will look through all the challenges and provide required solutions," he said.

Kanimba said what the government is committed is grow exports and narrow the country's trade deficit as one of the key pillars of the Second Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS 2) which aims to achieve and sustain export growth at 28 percent per year.

This year's 11th national leadership retreat, government of Rwanda agreed to partner with the private sector to stimulate export sector growth. Endit