Rwanda has upgraded standards of export commodities as it eyes the regional and African Continental free trade markets, Rwanda Today has learnt.

According to the gazette notice of January 31, the coffee leads the list of the locally produced commodities whose standards have been upgraded.

The list also includes meat, poultry, eggs and their products, cocoa and tea among others from the agriculture domain.

Jérome Ndahimana, the acting director in charge of the food and agriculture, chemistry and environment standard unit at Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) told Rwanda Today that the upgrade is in line with the country’s positioning and preparedness to benefit from the regional and recently flagged off continental markets.

“One of the thing that could bar the products to access the regional the market is the standard, and that’s why we have to harmonise them at the regional level, which will become easier for the Rwandan coffee along with other concerned commodities to access the regional markets across the partner states without any standard qualms,” Ndahimana told Rwanda Today.

 “Following the rules of origin, which exempt the regionally produced commodities from taxes, we are looking forward to having our commodities becoming more competitive quality-wise as well,” he added.

The standards of the textile and leather technology, civil engineering and building materials, cosmetics and healthcare and medical devices will also be upgraded.

According to the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB), Rwanda’s green coffee export was 19,723 tonnes in the past fiscal year, which have generated over Rwf57 billion.