Process Plants for Rwanda's Coffee, Banana, Fruit and Dairy Growers

Rwanda is a hilly and landlocked country in which most agricultural output comes from smallholder farmers, so raw materials usually arrive in modest lots from many growers. Coffee is grown in most provinces, and washing stations, where cherries are depulped, fermented and dried, are part of the sector. Drying beds and mechanical dryers are central to quality, and soluble coffee or liquid extract is an option for processors who want to move further up the chain.

Bananas, passion fruit and mango are among the fruits grown in the country, and processed products such as pineapple juice, dried pineapple, mango juice and passion fruit juice already appear among horticultural exports. Rice is one of the staple foods with room for growth and needs parboiling and drying, and pyrethrum, a flower dried and extracted for a natural insecticide, is listed among the export products.

Milk processing is one of the agricultural investment areas named by the national development board, so evaporation and spray drying are relevant subjects for dairy companies. Typical users include cooperatives, coffee washing station operators, fruit and juice processors, rice millers and botanical extractors. Equipment reaches the country overland from Indian Ocean ports: Rwanda is a member of the Northern Corridor that links Mombasa to the Great Lakes Region, and the Central Corridor serves the port of Dar es Salaam.