National Fertilizer Policy.

The Rwanda National Fertilizer Policy 2014-2020 is a sectoral policy whose mission is to establish a competitive and profitable fertilizer sector that ensures fertilizer access and affordability at farm gate in a timely manner creating acceptable fertilizer use by farmers for increased and sustainable agricultural productivity and farm incomes.
Due to its responsibility to ensure food security and livelihoods, government will empower farmers to engage in gainful agricultural production. To this end, subsidies shall be made available to farmers to make fertilizers available and accessible at affordable prices.
The policy seeks to make agriculture more productive and sustainable through increased and sustainable access and use of fertilizers. To this end, the policy regulates the aspects of fertilizer production, import and export, trade and marketing, promotion of their use, research and development, regulation and quality control, environmental considerations, as well as governance and institutional linkages. The production of fertilizers will be encouraged through incentives that will be made available for private investments in the sector. Government will also advise companies to import required fertilizer types and quantities according to the timeliness of cropping seasons, and will consider bulk procurement initiatives developed at the regional level. The private sector shall be primarily responsible for fertilizer trade and marketing while government shall facilitate the private sector and perform a regulatory role. The policy shall also contribute to tackling climate change and environmental safety through training farmers on the appropriate handling and judicious use and proper application of fertilizers, awareness activities, and establishment of guidelines for fertilizer manufacturers/blenders to implement environmental safety standards and properly dispose of the waste products emanating from its production plants.
Further, the document aims to reduce rural poverty by facilitating access to and promoting equitable use of fertilizers through design and implementation of interventions that increase access to agricultural and rural finance. Research and extension services will also be provided to farmers and small farms. Also, policies and programs in the fertilizer sub- sector shall be designed to ensure that women have a fair chance to benefit from opportunities in fertilizer extension, trade, and use.
Regarding governance, the policy establishes that the lead implementer of the policy shall be MINAGRI. However, other partners shall be instrumental in facilitating the implementation of the policy. These partners include government ministries and agencies, including MINECOFIN, MINALOC, MINIRENA, MINIFRA, REMA, RCA, RCIA, NUR and PSF, local governments, inter-governmental agencies, private sector, and development partners such as WB, USAID, IFAD and others. The policy shall be reviewed every 2 years to ensure that policy remains relevant to the macro-economic, socio-economic and environment conditions prevailing.