Productivity and Competitiveness of Rwandan Agriculture: A Case Study of the Maize Sector

Abstract

This study investigated the level of productivity and competitiveness of Rwandanagriculture by focusing on the case study of the maize sector. The data werecollected through close monitoring of maize production activities on a sample of 50producers from five maize producers’ cooperatives selected in the districts ofHuye, Rusizi, Gasabo, Burera and Bugesera (Rwanda) during two agriculturalseasons of 2013/2014 and 2014/2015. They were supplemented by directobservation, interviews with targeted resource persons and secondary data onmaize imports and exports retrieved from FAOSTAT website. The analysis wasconducted using the comparative analysis, the farm-level economic performanceindicators, the Net Export Index (NEI) and the Grubel-Lloyd (GL) measure. Theresults revealed that the yield was very low compared to theoretical expected yieldsfor about 80% of producers. The analysis showed that the rational use of improvedseeds, chemical and organic fertilizers improved the yield. The analysis of the NEIand the GL measures for maize flour and maize grain revealed that Rwanda was anet importer. For these staple foods, the results revealed that if Rwanda managed,through policy and institutional actions, to remove or alleviate the bottlenecks thatprevent farmers from producing enough for export, it could have had a competitiveadvantage on regional markets.

Do Exports and Imports Affect the Gross Domestic Product in Palestine During the Period (2000-2020)?

“…Exports of goods and services are a vital driver of social and economic development for many reasons. Companies operating in any country require exports to work, innovate, and maintain their market share, which ultimately leads to profitability (Ruranga & Musabanganji, 2019). Moreover, exports have a significant ability to reduce market fluctuations by operating within the global economy.…”

“…The study tested various empirical formulas to analyze causality and understand the relationship between exports, imports, and GDP. The total production function, commonly used in previous studies (Ramos, 2002;Titus, 2007;Güngör & Bernard, 2014;Afaf & Hussain, 2015;Bakar & Mabrouki, 2017;Ruranga & Musabanganji, 2019)…”

An evaluation of the application of the circular production model in agriculture: case study of Nyanza district, Rwanda

“…Not only is agriculture important for food security, it also contributes a large share to the economy of developing countries, particularly in Africa (Oxford Business Group, 2019). Rwanda is no different, agriculture remains a driver of its economic growth, employing over 80% of Rwanda's population and contributing 70% of the country's exports as well as 30% to the national GDP (Musabanganji et al, 2019). In the quest to improve the socio-economic standard of living of its people, Rwanda has made progress in implementing a wide range of economic policies and strategies, particularly in the agricultural domain, in order to boost the yield and meet the food needs of the entire population.…”