• Rwanda and Serbia have agreed to a deal that will see Rwanda import wheat and maize from Serbia while exporting coffee and tea to Serbia.

In accordance with an agreement deal between Rwanda and Serbia, Rwanda will purchase wheat and maize from Serbia while sending coffee and tea to the Balkan country. This agreement aims to improve bilateral relations and economic cooperation between the two countries.

Serbia is the seventh-largest exporter of maize in the world and one of the top producers of cereals including wheat and maize, with annual production reaching up to 8.1 million tonnes. In the meantime, Rwanda’s booming coffee and tea industries stand to gain from the agreement.

The minister of Internal and External Trade of Serbia, Tomislav Momirovic, announced during a three-day visit to Rwanda, where he met with Rwandan Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente and other government representatives to talk about measures to improve the current relations between both countries.

Manasseh Nshuti, the Minister of State in Charge of East African Community at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, noted that Rwanda can trade with Serbia in various goods, including wheat and maize, as Serbia is a big producer in that area.

He pointed out that the agreement would benefit Rwandans “For instance for wheat and maize, they have enough for domestic consumption, and we can buy at affordable rates”. The agreement is made at a time when Rwanda is looking for alternate sources to purchase wheat due to the disruption of the world market brought on by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as 64% of Rwanda’s wheat imports from Russia were made before the war.

In addition to the trade agreement, the two countries want to deepen their cooperation in other sectors, including technology, as Rwanda is also considering sending students to Serbia to study cutting-edge technology.