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Rwanda, UK launch project to improve agriculture production

Xinhua, September 28, 2016 Adjust font size:

A new project aimed at improving Rwanda's agriculture sector through commercialized farming was launched Tuesday by the government of Rwanda and the British government.

The six-year project worth 23.5 million pounds (about 30.55 million U.S. dollars), was unveiled by visiting British Minister for the Department for International Development (DFID) James Wharton at the Kigali Convention Centre in the Rwandan capital.

The venture, dubbed Improving Market Systems for Agriculture in Rwanda (IMSAR), is funded by the British government through DFID. It will focus on increasing the income of poor households in targeted agricultural market systems.

Speaking to reporters after the launch, Geraldine Mukeshimana, Rwanda minister of agriculture and animal resources, said that Rwanda has embarked on a campaign to transform agriculture from subsistence farming to commercial farming by sensitizing its citizens about farming techniques to increase productivity.

Agriculture in Rwanda accounts for a third of the country's GDP, employing about 80 percent of the total population. It contributes 47 percent of Rwanda's domestic goods and exports. Endit