Director General of Agriculture Mechanization at Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Production Patrick Karangwa and Premium Wholesale officials unveil the packhouse at Kigali special economic zone
Premier Foods Wholesale, a UK fresh produce supplier, has established a mechanized packhouse with a 40-ton daily fruit processing capacity which is expected to increase export capabilities of Rwanda’s agricultural sector.
The venture has been codenamed farm to fork initiative.
Located in Kigali special economic zone, the facility which is run by a subsidiary company called Premier Wholesale &Jameela seeks to create new value chains and to demonstrate Rwanda’s potential as a premium investment destination.
It comes to automate processes such as sorting, grading and packaging to ease labor cost in fruit export which also improves quality.
“Our 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,” Grant Hibbert, the Managing Director of Premier Wholesale &Jameela said during the inauguration.
He said their commitment is far beyond infrastructure.
“We are bringing our decades of market expertise, our understanding of premium retail requirements, and our technological capabilities to create a trans-formative ecosystem for Rwanda’s agricultural sector,” he said.
Hibbert said an in-house technology platform has been designed to offer an integrated agricultural technology solution that will transform traditional farming through a comprehensive digital ecosystem as they start working with farmers to bring the quality that meets international market stnadards.
They intend to create digital wallets, voucher distribution, and a credit scoring platform – enabling true financial inclusion and streamlined market access for farmers.
“This system will revolutionize how we support our farming communities by enabling efficient input distribution, transparent transactions, and improved creditworthiness assessment. The platform combines extension services including satellite-based soil analysis, with smart marketplace solutions such as e-commerce, machinery rental, and commodity exchange capabilities,” he said.
“We are also developing value addition initiatives focusing on native fruits and vegetables to enhance market opportunities.”
Exporters said, that the move will improve fruits exports.
“We have been using hands to sort and grade fruits, especially avocados which would undermine quality to some extent because the more fruits pass through the hands of people, the more they get damaged. The new move means quality; human resources will still be needed probably for packaging,” said Robert Rukundo, Chairman of Horticulture Export Association of Rwanda(HEAR).
“Consider also the cost in time; if you would have to put two days to sort ten tons of avocados manually, the new facility would reduce this time to four hours, which is cost effective in terms of labor and keeps quality. It’s branding both for the country and the company.”
Rukundo understands that the packhouse is a business of Jameela, and his association, will also understand that they have to find how they can use it profitably, because they are also into business.
He said, that the fruit export market is promising, given the feedback of investors who are now offering several solutions and putting in their money.
“When we started a couple of years ago, we only had one cargo from RwandAir, now Ethiopians Airlines has also joined. This investor also comes to contribute to this development,” he said.
According to Rukundo, the sector still has huge opportunities to explore, given the huge global market of avocados amounting to $7.2 billion against $8.37 million that Rwanda is able to grab from avocado export.
HEAR believes that the main hindrance of the fruit export is so far awareness of the quality and standards.
“Working together will help us overcome these challenges; we shall have to conduct training among the stakeholders, who are mainly the farmers because they will be the key drivers in this business,” said Rukundo who believes that there is still a lot to tap into, including herbs, which are really high value.
“The market is big,” he said. 
The High Commissioner of the UK to Rwanda Alison Thorpe said that the new facility is coming to put Rwanda to another level in filling the gap in the UK supermarkets.
“Post-Brexit, UK retailers are actively diversifying their supply chains. They are seeking reliable partners who can deliver quality produce year-round,” she said adding: “Rwanda’s counter-seasonal advantage to European producers is a game-changer here. Your avocados, French beans, and other high-value crops can fill crucial supply gaps in UK supermarkets.”
The diplomats said, that currently, there is a lot to win for Rwanda’s exporters.
“The UK’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme eliminates tariffs on your agricultural exports,” she said. “British retail chains are actively seeking new suppliers for premium fresh produce.”
