Diplomatist Magazine Rwanda 2018 | Page 26

to 2014. In the ten years from 2005 to 2014, the number of cattle increased from 1,006,572 to 1,143,553, poultry from 2,841,399 to 4,916,837, pigs from 326,652 to 989,316, goats from 1,263,962 to 2,672,751 and rabbits from 643,927 to 1,203,485. There are tacit indications of increasing demand for animal products that attract private sector investments in quality commercial feed production for marketing especially in peri- urban poultry and piggery production. There is an increasing demand for quality animal feed accentuated by increased numbers of improved breeds which call for investment in this sector. Poultry Products for local & regional markets In Rwanda, meat consumption per person per year is estimated at 7.9 kg/ year (2014) and shows an increase from 5.6 kg/year in 2006. Egg consumption was estimated at 0.63 kg per year in 2014 from 0.2kg of 2006. Rwanda's advantage here is that the poultry population amounted to 4, 916,837 in 2014 and the total poultry meat produced increased from 7,379MT in 2005 to 16,304MT in 2014. Another advantage is the new land policy with an aim to secure land tenure to encourage investments in farming and the country's 2017 target of making the poultry industry a fl agship of the Rwandan livestock. The trend of the last 10 years shows that although the production of meat and eggs increased regularly, more eggs are imported than locally produced. In 2012, it was estimated that 900,000 table eggs were imported weekly. Pork Products for local & regional markets In Rwanda, the percentage of livestock- owning households rearing pigs is estimated at 31.9 percent (EICV 4), up from 22.9 percent of the EICV 2 report. Investing in Piggery is an advantage considering the growing market in Rwanda. Pork meat production in Rwanda more than doubled in the last 10 years, where it increased from 3,585MT in 2005 to 10,210MT in 2014, raising the pig population to 1,014,629 in 2014 from 326,652 that was in 2005. In Rwanda, the stable political environment and strong government support for the growth of agriculture and livestock plus the new land policy which aims at securing land tenure encourage investments in livestock. Investment opportunities in the irrigation sector Rwanda has identified and mapped 589,000ha potential irrigation area for both hillside and marshland development, thus making investments in irrigated development and agro-processing in Rwanda an advantage considering the increasing world demand for crop commodities. Rwanda offers a unique opportunity for contract farming on grains and pulses because of its huge potential of approximately (96) free land for irrigation development with 24000ha of developed schemes. The Government Policy on 45 year Land lease offers attractive opportunities for "greenfield" leases for long-term private investment in irrigation infrastructure development Rwanda is blessed with abundant water resources in its lakes and rivers with reliable recharge capacity and with diurnal temperatures of 20-25 degrees Celsius; Rwanda offers excellent conditions for production of high value exportable irrigated cash crops such as geraniums, ginger, and banana.  Reference: http://allafrica.com/stories/201609080057. html 24 • RWANDA • 2018