Garden Fresh, a Rwandan company specializing in export of fresh produce, has opened the country’s first privately owned packhouse located at the Prime Economic Zone in Masoro. The facility, built with support from the HortInvest and IDH project, is aimed to reduce post-harvest loss, increase farmers income and generate new employment opportunities.
Packhouses provide a critical link between farm and market aggregating produce from numerous farms and preparing it for delivery according to strict quality standards. Valued at US$1 million, the 600 m2 packhouse has the holding capacity of 25-30 metric tons of fresh produce.
Garden Fresh manages its own farms and works with out-growers to grow, harvest and deliver fruits and vegetables, primarily French beans, passion fruits, chilies and avocados. Prior to realization of the project, the organization had to process their produce through the only standard packhouse in Rwanda run by the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB), which has capacity limitations.
Source: farmtech-africa.com