Hot market in China for Rwanda's dried chilis

A protocol related to the export of dried chili from Rwanda to China was signed on March 11 — more evidence of good relations between the countries based on mutual trust and win-win cooperation, said James Kimonyo, Rwanda's ambassador to China.

A number of Rwandan companies have signed agreements with Chinese buyers, he said.

China has the largest population of spicy food consumers in the world. More than 500 million people eat spicy food every day. Hunan province is one of the places where it's most popular.

During the first China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in June 2019, companies in Hunan signed trade agreements related to dried chili imports from Rwandan providers, but the product didn't have market access to China at the time.

After the expo, Hunan's department of commerce dived deep into research on the dried chili market in China and discovered that the quality of Rwandan chilis met Chinese market requirements, which accelerated the signing of the protocol on March 11.

Hunan is planning to build an industrial chain for dried chilis in Africa. In August, the province had started to build a distribution and trade center for African products, including coffee, flora, cashews, dried chilis, rubber and wood.