Tea cultivation commenced in Rwanda in 1952, and presently, there are 43 thousand tea farmers managing 28 hectares of tea plantations.

Rusizi District officials have declared that land assessments in the Bweyeye and Butare sectors indicate their suitability for tea cultivation, leading to plans for initiating planting. Tea is a lucrative crop that thrives in cold and acidic soils, and among Rwanda’s 18 tea factories, one is situated in the Rusizi district.

A feasibility study is underway to determine if the tea cultivation in Bweyeye and Butare can support the establishment of a tea factory there.

Ndagijimana Louis Munyemanzi, the Vice Mayor of Rusizi District in charge of economic development, mentioned that during President Kagame’s visit to Rusizi in August 2022, advice was provided on the tea cultivation project in this sector.

Munyemanzi expressed concerns about the challenge of finding buyers for the tea, with deliberations about whether to sell to the Shagasha factory, Gisakura, or Kitabi. Additionally, there is a contemplation between constructing a new tea factory or sustaining one of the existing factories that cultivate tea leaves.

As part of the government’s seven-year development blueprint, Rwanda aims to increase foreign exchange from tea production, targeting an increase from $64 million to $171 million by 2024. In 2022, Rwanda experienced a 10.3% growth in income from tea exports, rising from $96.7 million to $106.73 million. The Bweyeye and Butare sectors will join Giheke, Nkungu, Nyakarenzo, and Mururu sectors, already engaged in tea cultivation in the district.