Agricultural policy, law and regulators: the sector in numbers, Vision 2050, NST2 and PSTA5, the new Law N° 041/2026 governing agriculture and Law N° 042/2026 on animal husbandry and fisheries, MINAGRI, RAB, NAEB, RICA, Rwanda FDA, RSB, RDB, NLA, RWB and the Districts, openness to foreign investors, business vehicles, the Gabiro Agribusiness Hub and the first 90 days

The sector in numbers

Agriculture remains the largest employer in Rwanda and one of the largest sources of export earnings, even though its share of output has fallen as services and industry have grown. The National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) estimated GDP for fiscal year 2025/26 at RWF 25,833 billion at current prices, with real growth of 10.6% at constant 2024 prices. Services contributed 52% of GDP, industry 22% and agriculture 20%. Agriculture grew by 7% in real terms and contributed 1.5 percentage points of overall growth. Within agriculture, food crops accounted for about 10% of GDP and grew by 4%, export crops for about 2% and grew by 21%, livestock and livestock products for about 3% and grew by 7%, and forestry for about 4% and grew by 6%; fishing grew by 56% from a small base. For calendar year 2025, NISR also put agriculture at 20% of GDP, with export crops up 32% on the back of a 60% rise in coffee production and an 8% rise in tea production. Because NISR now measures real growth at constant 2024 prices, sector shares and growth rates in earlier publications may not be directly comparable with these.

Employment tells a different story. NISR's 2025 Labour Force Survey records 39.1% of employed persons working in agriculture, forestry and fishing, against 44.4% in services and 16.5% in industry. Farming is overwhelmingly smallholder: PSTA5 records an average landholding of 0.45 hectares, with half of agricultural households holding less than 0.2 hectares. That fact shapes almost every legal question in this chapter, from how an investor assembles land (Agricultural land, irrigation and water) to how it sources produce from outgrowers (Agro-processing, food safety, contract farming and exports).

Exports are growing fast. The National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB) announced in August 2026 that agricultural export revenue reached about USD 1.1 billion in fiscal year 2025/26, against USD 893 million the year before, the first time annual agricultural exports have exceeded USD 1 billion. NAEB reported that coffee exports in 2025 earned just over USD 148.6 million for 23,860 tonnes of green coffee, a record, at an average of USD 6.2 per kilogram. Coffee, tea and horticulture remain the core of the export basket; their regimes are covered in Coffee, tea and other export crops and Horticulture: fruit, vegetables and flowers.

The policy stack: Vision 2050, NST2 and PSTA5

Rwandan agricultural policy is set in layers. At the top is Vision 2050, the long-term development vision. Beneath it, the second National Strategy for Transformation (NST2) sets the Government's five-year programme for 2024/25 to 2028/29. The sector policy is the National Agriculture Policy of 2018, and the sector's investment plan is the fifth Strategic Plan for Agriculture Transformation (PSTA5), which implements NST2 for the same five fiscal years. MINAGRI launched PSTA5 in Kigali on 6 December 2024 under the theme "Building Resilient and Sustainable Agri-Food Systems", describing it as the first food-systems and climate-resilience centred strategy in the country.

The published abridged version of PSTA5 costs the plan at RWF 6,406.5 billion (about USD 4,950.8 million), of which 43.7% is expected from private investment and 10.2% is a contingency; MINAGRI's launch announcement gave a slightly higher figure of RWF 6,622.6 billion and a private share of about 44.2%, so the plan document should be used for any precise reference. The budget is spread over three priority areas: modernisation of crop and animal resources production (58.6%), inclusive markets and post-harvest management (17.5%), and agri-food system enablers such as research, de-risking, digitisation and coordination (23.9%).

The targets matter to investors because Government programmes, donor finance and land allocation follow them. From a 2023 baseline, PSTA5 aims for agricultural growth above 6% a year, a 50% rise in productivity, agricultural export revenue rising from USD 875 million to USD 1,540 million, foreign direct investment in agriculture and agro-processing rising from USD 23.2 million to USD 150 million, irrigated area rising from 71,585 to 132,171 hectares, land under mechanisation rising from 81,711 to 100,000 hectares, public-private partnerships in agro-processing and food-system support functions rising from two to seven, and 6.8% of crop farmers insured. It also plans consolidated smallholder production in Food Basket Sites covering 324,702 hectares by 2028/29, AgriHubs reaching 5,600 hectares by 2026/27, and an Agriculture Land Use Master Plan. Among the management models it lists for these sites are cooperative-driven, out-grower and land-leasing models, chosen according to local conditions. The incentives and finance that support these aims are in Agribusiness incentives, tax, finance and insurance.

The 2026 reset: Law N° 041/2026 governing agriculture

The most important legal change for agribusiness in years took effect on 11 September 2026. Law N° 041/2026 of 02/09/2026 governing agriculture, adopted by the Chamber of Deputies at its sitting of 23 July 2026, was published in the Official Gazette n° Special Bis of 11/09/2026 and came into force on publication (Article 110). Article 108 repealed Law n° 30/2012 of 01/08/2012 governing agrochemicals, Law nº 005/2016 of 05/04/2016 governing seeds and plant varieties in Rwanda and Law n° 16/2016 of 10/05/2016 on plant health protection in Rwanda. Investors, lenders and their lawyers should replace references to those three laws in contracts, licences and due diligence reports with references to the 2026 Law. The Law was drafted in English and considered and adopted in Ikinyarwanda (Article 109).

The Law applies to agricultural practices, crop varieties and seed quality, plant health, and agrochemicals and bio-inputs (Article 3), and it defines "agriculture" as activities carried out on a field or in other places for crop production (Article 2). Its first chapter is new: Article 4 classifies farmers as small-scale, medium-scale and large-scale, with the criteria and the requirements for each category to be set by an Order of the Minister in charge of agriculture. Article 5 requires every farmer to use methods that achieve the expected yield on the basis of modern knowledge and technology according to its category, and to farm in a way that ensures sustainable soil productivity, under instructions of the State organ in charge of agricultural development. Article 6 requires inputs to be used properly and in line with that organ's standards, and requires farmers to respect the waiting period between applying pesticides or fertilisers and harvesting shown on the label. Article 7 leaves the cultivation of plants with psychoactive properties, or posing risks to human health or the environment, to an Order of the Minister. Article 8 establishes Agriculture and Food Security Committees at national, provincial, district and sector level, organised by Prime Minister's Order, and Article 9 defines agricultural infrastructure (irrigation, post-harvest facilities, mechanisation infrastructure and market and input routes), whose establishment, use and management are to be set by an Order of the Minister.

The rest of the Law consolidates the regulation of crop varieties and breeders' rights, seed certification and seed businesses, plant health and phytosanitary controls, and agrochemicals and bio-inputs, in each case through an "Authority" defined as the State organ in charge of crop variety protection and plant health and of the inspection of seed quality, agrochemicals and bio-inputs (Article 2). The Authority is the national plant protection organisation (Article 56), and its services may be provided by persons it licenses, on criteria to be set by Ministerial Order (Article 107), which opens inspection to the private sector. Criminal penalties are severe: trading in substandard, counterfeit or misleadingly labelled seed, or in non-compliant agrochemicals, carries two to five years' imprisonment and a fine of five to ten times the value of the goods held and sold, or either penalty (Articles 104 and 105), and commercial imports or exports of plants or plant products without a phytosanitary certificate carry one to two years and the same multiple, or either (Article 103). Administrative faults and sanctions await a Ministerial Order (Article 101). The detail is in Seeds, fertilisers, pesticides and plant health.

Law N° 042/2026 and the rest of the statute book

The companion Law N° 042/2026 of 02/09/2026 governing animal husbandry and fisheries, published in the same Gazette and in force on the same day, repealed four laws: Law n° 33/2002 of 06/11/2002 regarding livestock identification, Law n° 54/2008 of 10/09/2008 on the prevention and fight against contagious diseases for domestic animals, Law n° 58/2008 of 10/09/2008 on aquaculture and fishing, and Law n° 25/2013 of 10/05/2013 on beekeeping (Article 66). Like Law N° 041/2026, it classifies farmers as small-scale, medium-scale or large-scale (Article 7) and requires every livestock farmer to register with its Authority (Article 8), and it regulates beekeeping (Article 11) and requires authorisation for aquaculture (Article 14), with the criteria and procedures to follow by Ministerial Order. Livestock, dairy, poultry and fish are covered in Livestock, dairy, poultry and aquaculture.

Around the two sector laws sit the general laws that apply to every agribusiness. Law N° 27/2021 of 10/06/2021 governing land and its orders govern tenure, foreigners' rights, land use consolidation, swamps and requisition of idle farmland. Law N° 49/2018 of 13/08/2018 determining the use and management of water resources in Rwanda and Ministerial Order No 001/MoE/24 of 02/04/2024 make irrigation of more than one hectare subject to a water use permit. Law N° 006/2021 of 05/02/2021 on Investment Promotion and Facilitation (the Investment Code) governs openness, registration and incentives. Law n° 057/2024 of 20/06/2024 governing cooperatives in Rwanda governs the farmer cooperatives that supply most produce. Law N° 011/2026 of 26/02/2026 relating to competition and consumer protection governs mergers, restrictive agreements and consumer protection across agrifood value chains. Environmental and social impact assessment is governed by Ministerial Order No 003/MoE/25 of 19/08/2025. Public-private partnerships are governed by Law N° 14/2016 of 02/05/2016 governing public private partnerships.

Two features of the statute book need watching. First, much of the 2026 reform depends on implementing Orders and regulations that had not been published at 16 October 2026: the farmer classification Order, the agricultural infrastructure Order, the administrative sanctions Order, the licensing of private inspectors and, under Law N° 042/2026, the registration of livestock keepers. Second, the 2026 laws contain no general transitional clause on licences, registrations and regulations issued under the repealed laws. Until the Authority and MINAGRI publish their transitional practice, an investor holding a seed, agro-dealer or import licence under the old regime should confirm in writing with the issuing organ that it remains valid.

Who regulates what

The Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI) makes policy, prepares laws and Ministerial Orders, coordinates the sector and, under PSTA5, acts as the food-systems convener with responsibility for regulation, resource mobilisation and monitoring. The Minister in charge of agriculture issues the Orders that the 2026 laws require and decides hierarchical appeals: a person dissatisfied with a decision under Law N° 041/2026 lodges a written internal appeal with the deciding organ within 30 days of notification, which must answer within 30 days, and may then appeal to the Minister within 30 days, who must answer within 30 days (Article 106).

MINAGRI has two implementing agencies. The Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), established by Law N° 14/2017 of 14/04/2017, delivers research, technology transfer and extension, and runs programmes such as the Small-scale Irrigation Technology (SSIT) programme. The National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB), established by Law N° 13/2017 of 14/04/2017 as a commercial public institution (Article 3), promotes and regulates agricultural and livestock exports. Its missions under Article 5 include implementing export strategies, supporting the private sector's international competitiveness, identifying sites for export processing factories, participating in setting and checking quality standards for export commodities, issuing certificates of authenticity and origin for agricultural and livestock exports, and facilitating the setting and publication of minimum farm-gate prices for export commodities with stakeholders. NAEB is therefore the first port of call for coffee, tea and horticulture investors.

Inspection and quality sit with other bodies. The Rwanda Inspectorate, Competition and Consumer Protection Authority (RICA), established by Law Nº 31/2017 of 25/07/2017, is Rwanda's official contact point under the International Plant Protection Convention and is the competition and consumer protection authority under Law N° 011/2026. Law N° 041/2026 does not name the organ that is its "Authority" for plant health, seeds and agrochemicals, so investors should confirm which body issues each licence and certificate under the new Law. The Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA) regulates the safety of processed food and the registration of medicines, and the Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) sets national standards and certifies products; their roles for processors are in Agro-processing, food safety, contract farming and exports.

Outside the sector, the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) registers companies, issues investment certificates, channels requests for State land on behalf of investors and, through its One Stop Centre, handles the environmental certificate for registered projects. The Ministry of Environment is the Ministry in charge of land; the National Land Authority (NLA) keeps the land register and approves changes of land use; and the Rwanda Water Resources Board (RWB) issues water use permits. The Districts and the City of Kigali manage and monitor land use locally (Article 67 of the Land Law), report each year by 30 September on land use (Article 69), start the process for requisition of idle farmland, and receive water permit applications addressed to RWB through the Mayor. Since 11 September 2026 the Agriculture and Food Security Committees created by Article 8 of Law N° 041/2026 have been added at national, provincial, district and sector level, but the Prime Minister's Order on their composition and powers had not been published at 16 October 2026.

Is agriculture open to foreign investors?

Yes. Article 3 of the Investment Code provides that "all business sectors are open to private investment regardless of the origin of the investor", and Article 9 authorises a foreign investor to invest and purchase shares in a Rwandan investment entity, with equal treatment on incentives and facilitation (FAQ 1). Neither the Investment Code nor Law N° 041/2026 nor Law N° 042/2026 contains a foreign ownership limit, a local partner requirement or a list of farming activities reserved to Rwandans. A foreign-owned company may grow, process, trade and export agricultural products on the same licensing terms as a Rwandan company (Sectors open to foreign investors and licensing).

Agriculture is also favoured. Article 4 of the Investment Code lists among its priority economic sectors manufacturing in large-scale agricultural operations excluding coffee and tea, agricultural equipment and related industries, agro-tourism, and horticulture and other high-value plants on a list approved by RDB (FAQ 9). Large-scale agricultural operations are defined in Article 2(30) as mechanised crop production on at least 200 hectares, livestock production of at least 5,000 chickens and at least 500 other animals, or fish production of at least 500 tonnes a year. Qualifying registered investors may obtain the preferential 15% corporate income tax rate and other incentives in the Code's Annex (FAQ 34), while the preferential rates for exporters exclude tea and coffee without value addition. The detail is in Agribusiness incentives, tax, finance and insurance.

Nationality matters in one place above all: land. Under Article 16 of Law N° 27/2021 a foreigner has rights only to an emphyteutic lease and a land concession, allocated only for investment, and must apply for renewal of a lease at least 90 days before it expires or lose the land. Who counts as a foreigner also differs between laws: the Investment Code excludes nationals and companies of East African Community (EAC) and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) states from its definition of foreign investor, while the Land Law makes no regional exception. These rules, and how a foreign-owned Rwandan subsidiary is treated, are in How foreign investors access land and Agricultural land, irrigation and water.

Choosing the vehicle: company, branch, cooperative partner

Most foreign agribusinesses operate through a private company limited by shares incorporated under Law N° 007/2021 of 05/02/2021 governing companies, as amended. A single shareholder suffices and foreign ownership may be 100%, but at least one director must be ordinarily resident in Rwanda (FAQ 12). A local subsidiary is usually preferable to a branch of a foreign company for a farm, because a branch has no legal personality separate from its foreign parent and is therefore a "foreigner" for the Land Law, while a Rwanda-incorporated company is not one on the text of Article 2(30), although that point awaits confirmation by NLA practice or a ruling (Choosing a business vehicle).

Cooperatives under Law n° 057/2024 are member-owned enterprises, registered not by RDB but by the national agency the Law designates (Articles 69 and 71), the Rwanda Cooperative Agency. They are the usual counterparty for an investor rather than its vehicle: most coffee washing stations, tea outgrower schemes, dairy collection centres and marshland irrigation schemes involve farmer cooperatives, and an investor typically enters into supply, outgrower or management agreements with them, or forms a joint venture company in which a cooperative holds shares. Partnerships under Law N° 008/2021 governing partnerships are also available, but the unlimited liability of general partners makes them an unusual choice for a capital-intensive farm.

Where the State contributes land or infrastructure, the structure is often a joint venture or a concession. The Gabiro Agribusiness Hub was launched in 2019 as a joint venture in which the Government held 90% and the Israeli irrigation company Netafim 10% in kind, with investors then taking plots on sub-lease. Larger projects may be negotiated as strategic investment projects under Article 5 of the Investment Code, for which Cabinet may grant additional incentives under Article 7, or structured as public-private partnerships under Law N° 14/2016, which PSTA5 expects to grow in agro-processing and food-system support functions.

What the Government promotes: Gabiro and other opportunities

RDB's agriculture investment page lists food processing for domestic and export markets (beans, rice, maize and potatoes), horticulture (French beans, peas, specialty vegetables, exotic fruit and flowers), coffee washing and roasting, mechanisation and irrigation equipment, distribution and cold chain, large-scale poultry farms, slaughterhouses and feed mills, and milk processing, with aquaculture and agro-tourism also mentioned. The incentives it summarises should be checked against the Investment Code's Annex, which is the binding text.

The flagship site is the Gabiro Agribusiness Hub in Nyagatare District, Eastern Province, along the Akagera River. The agreement signed on 2 March 2019 between the Government, acting through RDB, and Netafim provided for a first phase of 5,600 hectares within about 15,600 hectares of arable land, with drip irrigation and fertigation, a community irrigation component, and benefits for about 1,402 local households through lease fees and allocated irrigated land. In July 2026 six companies were reported to be farming at the hub, growing passion fruit and chillies for export and maize and beans for the domestic market; investors told the Prime Minister during his visit that irrigation water, billed in US dollars, was among their largest costs, and the Minister of Agriculture said the Government was exploring aligning water charges with productivity. Gabiro Agribusiness Hub Ltd issued a request for proposals in 2026, with a deadline of 13 June 2026, for a block of 172.3 hectares expandable to about 232 hectares, on the terms explained in Agricultural land, irrigation and water.

Beyond Gabiro, PSTA5's AgriHubs, Food Basket Sites, irrigation expansion and post-harvest infrastructure are the channels through which State land, irrigation and co-investment become available. Investors should approach RDB's investment promotion team and NAEB early: in Rwanda the allocation of State land without competition, the grant of additional incentives and the structuring of PPPs all start from a business plan presented through RDB.

The first 90 days for a foreign agribusiness

1. Days 1 to 10: map the project against the regulatorsDefine the activity (crop production, horticulture export, processing, livestock), the land needed and the water source. Check whether it qualifies as a large-scale agricultural operation (200 hectares of mechanised crops) or horticulture on RDB's list, and meet RDB's investment promotion team and, for export crops, NAEB.
2. Days 5 to 15: incorporate the Rwandan companyRegister a private company with RDB online, with at least one director ordinarily resident in Rwanda and the beneficial ownership declaration; RDB's service standard is six hours for a complying application. Open a bank account and register for tax.
3. Days 10 to 30: apply for the investment certificateWhere incentives are sought, apply to RDB with the business plan and supporting documents; RDB must decide within two working days of a complete file (Investment Code, Article 18). Sector licences and the environmental certificate form part of the file where required.
4. Days 10 to 60: secure landSearch NLA's register by parcel number (UPI) for tenure, use and caveats; negotiate a purchase of a lease, registered sub-leases or a State land request through RDB; check land use consolidation duties and marshland status before signing.
5. Days 20 to 90: water and environmentApply to RWB through the District Mayor for a water use permit if more than one hectare will be irrigated (fee RWF 35,000; decision within 90 days), and commission the environmental and social impact assessment where the project is listed or irrigation exceeds ten hectares.
6. Days 30 to 90: people and inputsApply for work permits for foreign managers; register with RSSB; line up seed, fertiliser and agrochemical supplies from licensed dealers under Law N° 041/2026 and confirm the phytosanitary route for any imported planting material.
7. By day 90: export and outgrower set-upRegister with NAEB as an exporter where relevant, plan phytosanitary certification with the competent Authority, and sign outgrower or supply agreements with cooperatives, after checking whether competition rules apply to exclusivity terms.