A Rwandan Agro-Dealer in Singapore: From Retailer to Wholesale Importer Dr. Anicet Karasira is a 53-year-old Rwandan veterinarian who owns a retail shop selling agroinputs and veterinary products in a rural area in Rwanda’s Eastern Province. In early 2011, Dr. Karasira began to participate in the newly introduced IFDC project, Privatization of Rwanda’s Fertilizer Import and Distribution System (PReFER). PReFER’s goal is to build private sector capacity in fertilizer and development linkages between private and public sector stakeholders in the supply chain, from district to regional levels.
Photo: PReFER
The PReFER project helps a small private business in Rwanda's Eastern Province make a business connection in Singapore.
Lawrence Chan and Dr. Karasira at the Asiatic Agricultural Industries Ltd. offices in Singapore.
Agriculture in Rwanda accounts for 39 percent of GDP, 80 percent of employment and 80 percent of total export revenues. The increased use of fertilizer and other agro-inputs is essential to maintain the current level of 90 percent food self-sufficiency for a population growing at 3 percent per year.
Through PReFER, Dr. Karasira was introduced to Lawrence Chan, Managing Director of Singapore’s Asiatic Agricultural Industries Ltd., who invited him to visit the company's offices in Singapore. Although it is difficult to compete in the agro-inputs sector since fertilizer imports are subsidized by the Government, Dr. Karasira saw that with a direct connection to a supplier, he could integrate fertilizer with crop protection and veterinary products to build his business in general and the fertilizer side in particular. In September 2011, Dr. Karasira managed to purchase from his own funds his first 20-foot container of 373 sacks of crop protection products (Mancozeb and 1000 l). The delivery reached Kigali in December of 2011 and within one week retailers had bought his entire shipment. Dr. Karasira's successes persuaded his bank to authorize him a credit line worth RWF 55 million, which he used to order a fourth container. He is hoping to reach 10 containers (40 feet) by the end of 2012. Dr. Karasira believes his business has room for more growth, and he is still prospecting the local market. Today, his customers express great satisfaction with the high quality of agroinputs available from him, compared to the low quality usually found in the market.