Ngoma: USAID partners with Local Company to upgrade Bio-fortified Food Processing

PANOVITA Ltd, USAID partner to upgrade Bio-fortified Food Processing

The United States through its Private Sector Driven Agricultural Growth (PSDAG), officially launched its partnership with PANOVITA Ltd to upgrade and improve their processing facility which supplies bio-fortified foods intended to support infants, lactating mothers and children.

The Company was founded in 2012 by a local entrepreneur and Engineer, Jean Bosco Bizimana, after he spent several years studying and working with Health Centers.

Speaking at the launching event, Bizimana said that he took time and did a research using Laboratory equipment from the nearby University and later discovered formula that enabled him to set up a food processing company in Ngoma District, Kazo Sector in the Eastern Province of Rwanda.

Bizimana explained that the company started with rudimentary hammer milling and the company’s infrastructures at the time were very poor.

However, he adds, “the USAID through PSDAG has supported us by providing fund which enabled us to purchase machinery equipment among them there is a semi-automated milling unit which since then has contributed to the increased production capacity.”

Bizimana told TOPAFRICANEWS that before the USAID’s support the company’s value was at 83,201,480 Rwf to which USAID injected 26,466,977Rwandan francs and now the total value stand at over 109 million Rwandan francs.

Apart from the financial support, USAID also helped the company to establish its own website as a marketing tool as well as enabling them to acquire advanced financial management tool to avoid loss and have accurate financial data.

PANOVITA works with 11 cooperatives made of 2,100 farmers engaged in daily, maize, soybean, sorghum and amaranthus.

Currently it employs 20 staff with the expectation of increasing the number of employees in the future.

In 2013, PANOVITA received an award from the Rwandan National Youth Council as the best young Innovators among 600 young innovators who competed.

In 2018, PANOVITA signed a co-investment grant with PSDAG to upgrade the processing facility.

Through the support given the company has been able to increase production from 3 MT per day to 10 Metric tons per day and they are seeking an S-mark certification.

Melanie Bittle the PSDAG Chief of Party congratulates PANOVITA for its work to improve living conditions of local community by creating employment opportunities and providing fortified foods adding that “More and more in developing World we realize that in order to make interventions sustainable you need to engage private sector especially in business.”

“So this project PANOVITA is a perfect example of the combination of focusing on nutrition, focusing on food security, but from private sector investment perspective.” She added.

The event was graced by various officials from Government institutions, members of the private sector as well as farmers.

USAID was congratulated for the support given to Rwandan citizens and officials said “This is a very good indicator of good relations between Rwandans and US Citizens.”