Seeds, fertilisers, pesticides and plant health: Law N° 041/2026 governing agriculture, crop variety release and the national crop variety list, plant breeders' rights, seed reproduction, processing and trading licences and seed certification, registration of agrochemicals and bio-inputs, agro-dealer licences, import permits and labelling, the Smart Nkunganire input subsidy, phytosanitary import controls and quarantine, biosafety under Law N° 025/2024, and how a foreign input supplier enters the market

One law for inputs and plant health since 11 September 2026

Until September 2026 three statutes governed agricultural inputs and plant health: 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. All three were repealed by Article 108 of Law N° 041/2026 of 02/09/2026 governing agriculture, adopted by the Chamber of Deputies on 23 July 2026, published in the Official Gazette n° Special Bis of 11/09/2026 and in force on publication (Article 110). Chapter III of the new Law governs crop variety registration, protection and seed certification (Articles 10 to 55), Chapter IV plant health (Articles 56 to 75) and Chapter V agrochemicals and bio-inputs (Articles 76 to 100); Chapter VI sets offences. Its general framework, including the classification of farmers and the companion Law N° 042/2026 on animal husbandry and fisheries, is described in Agricultural policy, law and regulators.

Most operational functions are given to the Authority, defined as the State organ in charge of the protection of crop varieties and plant health and of the inspection of seed quality, agrochemicals and bio-inputs (Article 2(eee)). The Law does not name the organ. The Rwanda Inspectorate, Competition and Consumer Protection Authority (RICA), established by Law N° 31/2017 of 25/07/2017, performs those functions in practice: it lists among its services seed inspection and certification, registration of seed multipliers, registration of agro-dealers and agrochemicals, regulation of imports of agrochemicals and agricultural machinery, plant import permits and phytosanitary certificates, and it has published the new Law on its website. The Minister in charge of agriculture (MINAGRI) makes the implementing Orders, approves the national list of agrochemicals and declares pest outbreaks; the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) breeds varieties and runs the input subsidy.

Two features of the transition matter to any business. First, much of the detail, including fees, licence requirements, seed categories, labelling and administrative sanctions, is left to Orders of the Minister and to regulations of the Authority that had not been published at 16 October 2026 (for example Articles 12, 45, 47, 79, 84 and 101). Second, the Law contains no general transitional provision on licences, registrations and implementing instruments issued under the repealed laws. Until the Authority states its practice, a seed company, agro-dealer or importer holding an authorisation granted before 11 September 2026 should confirm in writing that it remains valid, and should describe its activities by reference to the 2026 Law in contracts and due diligence. A person dissatisfied with a decision under the Law may lodge an internal appeal with the deciding organ within 30 days of notification, which must answer within 30 days, and then a hierarchical appeal to the Minister within a further 30 days (Article 106). Services of the Authority may be provided by other persons it licenses (Article 107), which opens the way to private seed inspectors and laboratories.

Crop varieties: testing, release and the national list

A person wishing to register a new crop variety applies in writing to the Authority (Article 12). Before release, a variety to be grown in Rwanda is examined for novelty, distinctness, uniformity, stability and value for cultivation and use (VCU); a variety from another country that has been approved by that country's competent authority is subject only to VCU testing (Article 13). A Crop Variety Release Committee is established by the Law (Article 11), and a Registrar of Crop Varieties and Breeder's Right is to be appointed under a Ministerial Order (Article 10). Varieties approved for release are entered each year in the national crop variety list, published in the Official Gazette (Article 14(1)); the most recent list published on MINAGRI's website appeared in the Official Gazette n° Special of 18/02/2022, under the old law.

The listing rule has teeth. Under Article 14(2) a new crop variety may only be cultivated if it is on the national crop variety list, and a listed variety may be removed (Article 14(3)). A horticulture or seed company that wishes to grow a variety new to Rwanda, even one widely grown abroad, must therefore plan for VCU trials before commercial planting; the Law does not set the number of seasons, which will depend on the Ministerial Order under Article 13(3). A breeder must maintain a registered variety so that it keeps its distinctness, uniformity and stability, and plant genetic resources are conserved in the national gene bank (Article 15). RICA, working with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), held a technical workshop in Musanze from 27 September to 2 October 2026 on proposed regulations for avocado and chilli nurseries and seedling production, covering nursery registration and licensing, approved planting-material sources and rootstocks, inspection, traceability and certification of grafted seedlings; those regulations had not been adopted at 16 October 2026 (Horticulture: fruit, vegetables and flowers).

Plant breeders' rights

Section 3 of Chapter III creates a breeder's right, an intellectual property right of the person who created, or discovered and developed, a new crop variety, or of that person's employer or successor (Article 2(pp) and (vv)). A variety is protected if it is new, distinct, uniform and stable (Article 18), and the Authority examines it (Article 17). Novelty is lost by sale or disposal of propagating or harvested material with the breeder's consent more than one year before the application in Rwanda, more than four years before it abroad, or more than six years before it abroad for crops that take a long time to yield their first crop (Article 19(2)); entry in the national crop variety list does not destroy novelty (Article 19(4)). An applicant who first filed in another State party with Rwanda to an international convention on breeders' rights may claim that earlier date if it files in Rwanda within 12 months (Article 25). The application is published and may be opposed (Articles 27 and 28), provisional protection may be requested between publication and grant, with equitable remuneration claimable for use during that period (Article 26), and the Authority grants the breeder's right certificate, or notifies rejection, within seven working days after the test is completed (Article 29).

The holder may reproduce, market and distribute the variety or authorise others to do so (Article 30). The breeder's authorisation is needed for production or reproduction of seed, conditioning for propagation, selling, exporting, importing and stocking seed for commercial purposes, using harvested material and products made from it, and using varieties not clearly distinguishable from, requiring repeated use of, or essentially derived from the protected variety (Article 31). The right does not extend to private non-commercial acts, experiments, breeding of new varieties (other than essentially derived ones) or a small-scale farmer's use of seed saved on his or her own farm (Article 32). It is exhausted by sale in Rwanda or in a State party to the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (the UPOV Convention), except for further propagation or export of propagating material to a country that does not protect the species (Article 33). The right lasts not less than 20 years from grant, and not less than 25 years for trees and vines (Article 38).

The Minister may grant a compulsory licence for reasons of public interest, after negotiating with the breeder and fixing equitable remuneration on the advice of a panel of two public and two private experts agreed by both parties; the decision is published in the Official Gazette within 15 working days and may be challenged in court (Articles 34, 35 and 37). The right may be declared null by the competent court if novelty or distinctness was lacking or it was granted to the wrong person (Article 40), and the Authority may cancel it for loss of uniformity or stability, failure to supply information or material, non-payment of maintenance fees or failure to propose a suitable denomination (Article 41). Applications and rights may be assigned by a signed written instrument, which must be notified to the Authority and recorded in the register (Article 44). Fraudulently registering another person's protected variety in one's own name is punishable by a fine of RWF 7,000,000 to RWF 10,000,000 and one to three years' imprisonment, or either, and for a legal person by a fine of RWF 70,000,000 to RWF 100,000,000 (Article 102). Licensing practice and other IP rights are covered in Technology transfer, franchising and licensing.

Seed businesses: categories, licences and certification

Seed is defined widely, as any crop part used for propagation, from grain and tubers to seedlings, cuttings, suckers, rootstocks and banana plantlets (Article 2(r)). Article 45 recognises six categories, by their relationship to research seed: breeder seed, pre-basic seed, basic seed, certified seed, certified seed category 2 and quality declared seed, the last being seed declared by its producer as meeting prescribed standards and subject to a reduced level of inspection (Article 2(u)). An Order of the Minister is to set the classification criteria and the labelling for each category, and the standards for reproducing quality seed (Articles 45(2) and 46).

Each stage of the seed business needs its own registration and licence from the Authority: a seed reproduction licence (Article 47), a seed processing licence for cleaning, drying, grading, coating, treating, packaging or labelling (Articles 2(b) and 48), and a seed trading licence (Article 50). In each case the Authority grants the licence within 30 days of receiving an application that meets the requirements, which a Ministerial Order will set. Seed may be treated only with products on the national list of agrochemicals and bio-inputs, and certified seed must be packed with seals and labels approved and provided by the Authority (Article 49). Inspection during reproduction, processing or trading is carried out on the seed establishment's written application (Article 52), seed is tested in an approved laboratory (Article 53), and the Authority grants a seed quality certificate for compliant seed; the Minister may, in the public interest, authorise use of seed that does not meet the standards (Article 54). Fees are to be set by Order (Article 55).

RICA is digitising the system. In 2026 it began deploying an Inspection and Certification Support System for seed inspection, certification and traceability with MINAGRI, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the National Seed Association of Rwanda and AGRA, stating that a harmonised system supports Rwanda's ambition to demonstrate readiness for accession to the OECD Seed Schemes. RICA's online public register lists licensed seed producers, seed conditioners, seed merchants and nursery producers; its entries show, for example, seed producer and nursery licences issued for two years and seed merchant licences for five, although the validity periods under the 2026 Law will depend on the implementing Order. Trading seed that does not meet quality standards, is counterfeit or bears misleading information is an offence punishable by a fine of five to ten times the value of the non-compliant seed held and already sold and two to five years' imprisonment, or either (Article 104).

Fertilisers, pesticides and bio-inputs: registration

Chapter V regulates agrochemicals, chemical compounds used to fertilise or improve soil, enhance crop growth or control pests, and bio-inputs, products of plant, animal or microbial origin used for the same purposes (Article 2(gg) and (hh)). They include fertilisers (inorganic, organic, organo-mineral, fertiliser supplements, biofertilisers and bio-stimulants), pest control products (conventional pesticides, biopesticides, biological control agents and plant growth regulators) and organic and inorganic soil amendments, and the Minister may add other types (Article 76). An Advisory Council on agrochemicals and bio-inputs and a Registrar of Agrochemicals and Bio-inputs are provided for (Articles 77 and 78).

No agrochemical or bio-input may be used or placed on the market until it has been examined and entered in the national list of agrochemicals and bio-inputs; the applicant applies in writing to the Authority, and the examination procedure, fees and registration requirements are left to a Ministerial Order (Article 79). A product that meets the requirements receives a registration number and a registration certificate issued to its owner or legally authorised representative, which classifies it as for general use, restricted use with specified conditions, or severely restricted use only by authorised persons under the Authority's supervision (Article 80). Information that the applicant identifies as confidential and that the Authority accepts as such is kept out of the register (Article 81), which matters to manufacturers protecting formulation data. The Advisory Council reviews the list every year, showing both registered and prohibited products, and the Minister approves it for publication in the Official Gazette (Article 82). Where a product no longer complies or a risk to health or the environment appears, the Registrar reports to the Advisory Council, which may recommend modifying conditions of use, suspending the certificate pending review, imposing safety measures or cancelling the registration (Article 83). No list under Article 82 had been published at 16 October 2026; until one is, prohibited products should be identified from the Authority's practice and the product's registration status confirmed with it.

Trading, importing, labelling and using agrochemicals

Under Article 84 no person may manufacture, import, export, sell, distribute, supply, store, apply, repackage or transport agrochemicals or bio-inputs for commercial purposes without a licence from the Authority, and premises used for these activities must be registered and hold an operating permit; a licensed trader is an agro-dealer (Article 2(rr)). RICA's public register lists several hundred registered agrochemical premises and licensed agro-dealers, with entries issued for five years. Each import or export needs a permit from the Authority; unregistered products may be imported for trials or research with the Authority's authorisation, and the Minister may authorise imports of unregistered products, in set quantities, in an emergency or the public interest (Article 86). Transit through Rwanda also needs a permit, even if the product is authorised in the country of destination (Article 87).

A product may be dealt in only if it is registered, undamaged, not prohibited and compliant with standards, not adulterated or reformulated, not falsely or misleadingly labelled, not sold under a confusing or imitative trade name, not presented as a registered product when it differs from it, not expired or relabelled, and not infringing intellectual property (Article 88). Advertising needs the Authority's authorisation and must follow the registration data, and restricted products may not be advertised (Article 89). Only labelled products may be imported, sold or used, and repackaging needs authorisation (Article 90). Agrochemicals may not be carried in a vehicle carrying people, animals, food, beverages or feed (Article 91); they may not be mixed or spilled near streams, rivers, wetlands, ponds or lakes, and a spill must be reported to the Authority or the nearest authority within 12 hours (Article 92). An agro-dealer in restricted products must see the buyer's permit and keep sales records, and anyone handling restricted products needs prior written authorisation (Article 93).

Farmers have duties too: they must use inputs in line with the standards and guidelines of the State organ in charge of agricultural development and respect the waiting period between application and harvest shown on the label (Article 6). Inspectors may seize products suspected of not matching their registered composition, and produce whose residues exceed permissible limits because conditions of use were breached, for analysis (Article 98). After analysis the inspector lifts the seizure, orders defects remedied within six months, orders destruction or return to the country of origin, or refers health risks to the Advisory Council, all at the owner's cost (Article 99). Where defective or deteriorated products have been used, the vendor bears the cost of the resulting damage (Article 100). Trading in substandard, unregistered, prohibited, counterfeit, falsified, unlabelled, irregularly packed, expired or deteriorated products, manufacturing substandard products for sale, trading products from a manufacturer not approved in its country, or trading restricted products without authorisation is punishable by a fine of five to ten times the value of the products held and sold and two to five years' imprisonment, or either; retailers and applicators are instead subject to administrative sanctions to be set by Ministerial Order (Articles 101 and 105). The rules on counterfeit goods generally are in IP enforcement and anti-counterfeiting.

The fertiliser and seed subsidy: Smart Nkunganire

Rwanda subsidises fertiliser and improved seed for farmers through Nkunganire (Kinyarwanda for the Government's contribution). PSTA5 records that between 2018 and 2023 the share of farmers using inorganic fertilisers rose from 22% to 56%, applications rose from 32 kg to about 70 kg per hectare, and the use of improved seed rose from 9% to 29%, and that after input prices rose from 2022 the Government took on a larger share of the price. Orders are placed through the Smart Nkunganire System (SNS), which RAB describes as a platform for end-to-end digitisation of the agri-input supply chain under the agri-input subsidy programme.

The mechanics are set each season by instructions of the Minister. The last seasonal instructions published on MINAGRI's website, Instructions N° 004/2022 of 01/08/2022 for season 2023A, show how the system works: only the importers contracted by RAB (for that season Yara, ETG Inputs, Rwanda Fertilizer Company and One Acre Fund/Tubura) could sell subsidised fertiliser, through licensed agro-dealers in each Sector, with Agro-Processing Trust Corporation Ltd (APTC) verifying deliveries; the Government's share was set by product (for example 42% for DAP and 40% for urea) and a maximum farmer price was published for each fertiliser and seed variety; farmers registered on SNS by mobile phone with their identity number and land parcel number (UPI); agro-dealers had to use the system's ordering application; and Districts paid the subsidy to suppliers within 45 days of delivery. Rates, approved suppliers and covered crops change by season, and the instructions for season 2027A, which RAB reported opened on 10 October 2026, were not published on MINAGRI's website at 16 October 2026.

For an investor the subsidy matters in three ways. A fertiliser importer or seed company reaches the bulk of smallholder demand only by becoming an approved supplier under RAB's contracts; an agro-dealer must hold a licence under Article 84 and work through SNS; and a large commercial farm should not assume it is eligible for subsidised inputs, which are targeted at smallholders and listed crops. Fertilisers, seeds and pesticides on the November 2025 list are exempt from VAT, as explained in Agribusiness incentives, tax, finance and insurance.

Plant health and phytosanitary controls on imports

The Authority is Rwanda's national plant protection organisation under the International Plant Protection Convention (Article 56). It conducts pest surveillance and monitoring, establishes and publishes each year the list of regulated pests, and carries out pest risk analysis to determine the risks and pathways of introduction and the phytosanitary measures required, updating it as new evidence appears (Articles 57 to 59). Anyone who knows or suspects the presence of pests must notify the nearest administrative authority, which informs the Authority (Article 60). On the Authority's analysis the Minister declares a pest outbreak and quarantine area and issues control instructions, and the owner of an affected field or premises must apply the prescribed measures (Articles 61 to 63); the Minister later declares the end of the outbreak and the lifting of quarantine (Articles 64 and 65).

For imports, a person bringing in plants, plant products, other regulated articles (including packaging, containers, soil and conveyances) or pests must comply with the Authority's phytosanitary measures, and every consignment must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the plant protection organisation of the country of origin (Article 66). Imports for research follow the Authority's regulations, and the import of an invasive alien species is subject to special conditions set after consulting the environmental protection organ (Articles 66(2) and 67). Consignments are declared to the inspector and inspected at designated points of entry (Article 72), may be placed under quarantine where non-compliance is suspected (Article 74), and, if non-compliant at any stage, may be seized, returned, processed or destroyed at the owner's cost (Article 73). Transit through Rwanda follows the Authority's regulations (Article 70), and service fees are to be set by Ministerial Order (Article 71). RICA's services include import permits for plants and plant products, the list of regulated pests and a protocol for importing seed and planting materials. Importing or exporting plants or plant products for commercial purposes without a phytosanitary certificate, or adding items not covered by it, is punishable by a fine of five to ten times the value of the goods and one to two years' imprisonment, or either (Article 103). Export certification is explained in Horticulture: fruit, vegetables and flowers, and customs clearance in Customs and EAC trade.

Genetically modified crops and biosafety

Law N° 041/2026 does not itself regulate genetically modified organisms. They are governed by Law n° 025/2024 of 16/02/2024 governing biosafety. The Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) states that under that Law a permit is needed for the contained use of a living modified organism (LMO), confined field trials, intentional introduction into the environment, placing an LMO on the market for direct use as food, feed or for processing, the import, transit or export of an LMO, and its handling, packaging, labelling, transport or storage. An application includes the prescribed form, a risk assessment report and a risk management plan, and REMA states that processing takes 30 to 90 working days from a complete application, depending on the activity. RAB is running agricultural biotechnology projects with the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), whose annual review took place on 14 and 15 October 2026.

A genetically modified variety intended for commercial planting therefore needs a biosafety permit for environmental release and, as a new crop variety, registration and entry in the national crop variety list under Articles 12 to 14 of Law N° 041/2026, and imported seed of such a variety also needs phytosanitary clearance. The environmental assessment regime for projects generally is described in FAQ 89.

How a foreign seed or agrochemical company enters the Rwandan market

1. Choose the vehicle and registerIncorporate a Rwandan subsidiary or register a branch with RDB, or appoint a licensed local distributor; the Authority issues product registrations to the owner or its legally authorised representative (Article 80(2)). Consider an RDB investment certificate if the project is large enough (Sectors open to foreign investors and licensing).
2. Confirm the regulator's current practiceAsk the Authority (RICA) in writing which forms, fees and requirements it applies pending the Ministerial Orders under Law N° 041/2026, and whether any authorisation held under the repealed laws continues.
3. Register varieties or productsFor seed, apply for variety registration and VCU trials (Articles 12 and 13) and, if wanted, a breeder's right with any priority claim within 12 months (Article 25). For agrochemicals or bio-inputs, apply for examination and entry in the national list, marking confidential data (Articles 79 to 81).
4. License the operationsObtain seed trading, processing or reproduction licences (Articles 47 to 50) or an agro-dealer licence and premises registration (Article 84), and appoint qualified technical staff for registered premises.
5. Import lawfullyObtain an import permit for each agrochemical consignment (Article 86) and comply with phytosanitary measures for seed and planting material, with a phytosanitary certificate from the country of origin (Article 66); plan for inspection and possible quarantine at entry.
6. Label, advertise and distributeUse approved labels (and Authority seals for certified seed), obtain advertising authorisation, keep restricted products away from advertising and record restricted sales (Articles 49, 89, 90 and 93).
7. Reach smallholdersApply to become an approved supplier under RAB's Nkunganire contracts if the product is subsidised, and connect distributors to the Smart Nkunganire System.