Three Rwandan small and medium-sized fresh produce companies recently showcased their products at the 2025 Fruit Logistica Expo in Berlin, Germany, making strides towards unlocking new opportunities in the export market. The exhibition, held from February 5–7, is one of the world’s largest trade fairs for the fresh produce industry.
This year’s gathering brought together an estimated 66,000 visitors and 2,700 exhibitors from 145 countries, offering Kinvest Farms Company, Lotec Rwanda Ltd, and Effective M&N a global platform to promote their products, businesses, and prospect for new customers for their niche horticultural produce. Their participation was part of the five-year Value-added Initiative to Boost Employment (VIBE) programme that is implemented in Rwanda by TradeMark Africa (TMA), the International Trade Centre (ITC), in partnership with Mastercard Foundation.
“Occasions such as this expo avail valuable opportunities for Rwanda’s fresh produce exporters to explore new markets, enhance their earning potential, and improve the prospects for other local enterprises to expand into European and global markets. By engaging directly with international stakeholders, these firms gained critical insights into market dynamics and established connections with potential buyers and strategic partners,” said Doreca Musenga, VIBE Programme at TradeMark Africa.
The three companies, who are part of the many VIBE programme participants, collectively produce and export a variety of fresh produce, including French beans, passion fruits, chilies, snow peas, bird’s eye chilies, bananas, green chilies, habanero, and avocados. Despite their exponential potential, these firms, like many other micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), face several challenges in scaling up their export markets. Some of these include limited knowledge of export markets; high costs associated with exporting; insufficient production capacity; restricted access to financing; inadequate logistics and shipping solutions; and challenges meeting global standards, among others. The VIBE programme, which seeks to create dignified job opportunities for women and youth in micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the horticulture, poultry, meat, and dairy value chains, is working with such firms to overcome these barriers.
Through targeted training and support, the programme enhances the capacity of Rwandan firms to meet international standards, expand their global footprint, and contribute to the country’s export growth. Two of these firms will also showcase their fresh product offerings in March 2025 at Salon International de l’Agriculture (SIA) 2025, one of the world’s most prominent agricultural expos, held annually in Paris, France.
