Construction works on the stalled US $12.2m Centre of excellence for agriculture mechanisation in Rwanda project has resumed after the contractor secured funding.
The Centre of excellence for agriculture mechanisation in Rwanda project, which is expected promote research and boost local production of agriculture machinery in the country, started in May 2017 but construction works were suspended after the contractor, Technofab Engineering Ltd, experienced funding shortages.
Construction works on Centre of excellence for agriculture mechanisation in Rwanda project have now resumed albeit on a small scale but the pace is expected to pick up once all the construction material is shipped in from abroad.
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Centre of excellence for agriculture mechanisation project completion
According to Minc Aimé Mutabazi, the agriculture mechanisation specialist who is in charge of the project, the project is scheduled for completion by June 2022. “This project is expected to benefit local and regional researchers in the area of agriculture and bolster technology transfer in agriculture mechanisation. It also aims to support local manufacturers to locally produce mechanisation equipment, machinery and technologies appropriate for Rwanda’s soil and topography,” he said.
The specialist further mentioned that most of the imported mechanization machinery fails to operate on the hilly Rwandan farms. “The centre also seeks to monitor certification of mechanisation equipment both those imported and those locally produced to ensure appropriate machines. The centre looks at carrying out research of machinery working along the whole value chain from land preparation to post-harvest handling,” he added.
Mr. Mutabazi said that once the centre is complete, many small-scale agro-processing industries will benefit while farmers will be trained on agriculture mechanisation. “We will again work with universities interested in research related to farm mechanization,” he said.
