Establish Rwandan avocado production outgrower scheme and export Even though agricultural development is one of the focal areas of the Rwandan government, there is hardly any large scale production of agricultural produce yet, leave alone any serious export of agro products from Rwanda.East African Growers Ltd (EAGA) from Kenya was invited by the Rwanda Ministry of Agriculture to advise on, and invest in the development of export crops in the country. After some pilot projects in grafted mango varieties, avocado varieties and production of French beans, EAGA believes the time is right to seriously invest in avocado production for export.Together with its local subsidiary East African Growers Rwanda SARL (EAGR) the company will establish an avocado orchard of 30 ha and an outgrower scheme of minimally 200 ha in which grafted avocado plants of the Hass variety will be introduced. A warehouse will be erected in which the avocados will be graded and packed for export to the European and Middle East markets.In the early years, local varieties will be sourced from existing avocado trees, but in due time all exports will focus on the Hass avocado, which fetches higher prices in the European market. The production process will become GlobalGAP and HACCP certified. As the companies are already closely related, no new joint venture will be established.As there is no serious export of agro products in Rwanda yet, this project may very well set an example in the agro sector and open up possibilities for other export crops.Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)The project will become both GlobalGAP and HACCP certified. GlobalGAP certification will ensure good agricultural practices, and the company will be obliged to show its commitment to the health, safety and welfare of the outgrower and its care for the environment.Under HACCP, the company will have to develop and implement a policy with regard to work place health and safety.Impact•	Employment and working conditionsThe project will provide employment to twenty permanent staff and 59 casual labourers (during the 8 months of avocado harvest). The permanent staff is all medium to highly qualified whereas the casual workers are considered to be basic-skilled. Two years later these numbers will increase to 25 and 138 respectively.The company will at least pay 30% above local minimum wages. EAGA approach to minimum wages is to consult with local village chiefs, to discuss what can be considered to be a reasonable and fair salary in that specific area. This approach works out fine in Kenya.People will work 46 hours per week, 5.5 days per week. Depending on the volumes that need to be processed, the factory will run two or three shifts per day.Next to salary, the people will receive free lunch and medical costs coverage for basic healthcare (a clinic will be established at the factory).•	Innovation / Transfer of knowledgeEven though the Rwandan government already introduced the new Hass variety to several farmers, no proper agricultural training has been given to these farmers to improve their production capacity. Hence, the outgrower programme will add to the level of skills and knowledge of the avocado farmers.Furthermore, since no serious export of fruits and vegetables currently is taking place in Rwanda, this project will contribute to the agricultural development of Rwanda in general.•	Chain effectsAt least 150 outgrowers will be involved in this project. They will be trained in good agricultural practices and will receive grafted Hass plants and chemicals and fertilisers when needed. These agricultural inputs are not given out for free, but will be deducted from the future earnings of the farmers. Costs of plants and other inputs will be repaid in four years after the first yields come in.Training of these farmers will be managed by 8 field coordinators that visit each farmer on a weekly basis. In addition, two outgrower managers will check the farmers production regularly, to check how much fruits can be expected from which farmer.Next to the outgrowers, two transport companies are expected to benefit from this project.•	EnvironmentUse of chemicals during production will be kept to a minimum, as prescribed by GlobalGAP.For irrigation purposes, water will be taken from the nearby lake. An Environmental Impact Assessment will be conducted in order to minimise adverse effects on the environment.•	Position of womenAbout 30% of all employees are expected to be female. To develop the avocado value chain by introducing Hass avocados to at least 150 outgrowers (minimum 200 ha), establishing a 30 ha orchard and investing in pack house facilities with a capacity of 8 tons of packed avocados per day for export to Europe and