Rwandan Farmers to Gain Global Reach Through UK’s Premier Foods Wholesale Investment.
Rwandan farmers are poised to gain access to international markets as Premier Foods Wholesale, a UK-based company, opens its doors in Kigali, promising to create new opportunities and global market access for local produce.
In a significant expansion of its operations, Premier Foods Wholesale has recently become a registered investor in Rwanda’s Special Economic Zone as Premier Wholesale Rwanda Limited with a plan to source a range of products, including fruits, and vegetables from local producers.
According to the company’s managing director, Grant Hibbert, this strategic expansion promises to unlock international market opportunities for Rwandan farmers thanks to their decadal market expertise, understanding of premium retail requirements, and technological capabilities to create a transformative ecosystem for Rwanda’s agricultural sector through their established state-of-the-art mechanized packhouse facility.
He said” This investment, through Premier Wholesale Rwanda Limited and Jameela Rwanda, represents more than international expansion. It embodies our guiding ethos: creating lasting value by connecting agricultural communities with global markets through sustainable, technology-driven solutions that ensure food security and economic growth.”
“Our facility’s infrastructure represents a significant leap forward in processing capability. With a capacity of 40 metric tons per day, our state-of-the-art processing lines incorporate automated grading systems that sort produce by weight and size, eliminating human error and ensuring consistent quality. The facility is equipped to handle a diverse range of products – from avocados and French beans to mangetout, snow peas, passion fruit, and strawberries.”
While Rwanda is targeting to increase revenues from agriculture export from $875 million to $1.9 billion by 2029, the British investment would be instrumental in pursuing this target.
Dr. Patrick Karangwa, Director General of Agriculture Modernization at Rwanda’s Ministry of Agriculture emphasized the role of such investments in lessening post-harvest losses experienced by farmers across the country.
“Mostly, agricultural produce is spoiled during post-harvest handling due to lack best practice and skills to process it. There is also other produce that is spoiled due to lack of access to ideal markets to sell their harvests.” Says Dr. Patrick.
He also added that “Farmers should not see these investors as benefactors who have come to give them free things, but they should also start thinking about modern farming to improve their productivity.”
Speaking about Premier Foods Wholesale investment in Rwanda, The High Commissioner of the UK to Rwanda Alison Thorpe revealed that it will not only play a role in increasing the amount of agric products being exported to the UK from Rwanda but also bolster ties between the two countries.
She said “This is absolutely what we want to see more of between Rwanda and the UK. You can go around a UK supermarket and you can see some Rwandan produce on the shelves, but we can absolutely send so much more Rwandan produce to the UK.”
“The avocados you can get here (in Rwanda) are this big and taste so much nicer and they love avocados in the UK. I definitely think there’s a market for Rwandan avocados, for beans, for legumes, uh, for coffee, for tea and this facility will really help move the goods from Rwanda to the UK. So, I think it’s really exciting and the start of hopefully something much bigger.
Operating from New Covent Garden Market, London’s largest wholesale fruit and vegetable market, Premier Foods Wholesale has established itself as a major force in the UK’s fresh produce sector with annual revenues exceeding $400 million.
The company stands as one of Britain’s most dynamic and influential fresh produce companies, proudly ranked among the FPJ 50 Companies – the industry’s definitive guide to the UK’s largest fresh produce suppliers.
