When Clémence Murekatete graduated with a level in accounting from College of Lay Adventists of Kigali in 2019, she anticipated to observe a well-recognized path: making use of for jobs and hoping to safe a company job within the metropolis.
However after months of unsuccessful functions, frustration pushed her to rethink her future.
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As an alternative of ready for employment, the 35-year-old from Huye District determined to create her personal alternative.
Right this moment, Murekatete runs a rising agribusiness that mixes poultry farming, animal feed manufacturing, crop cultivation and pig rearing. Her enterprise employs 10 everlasting employees alongside informal labourers, whereas additionally coaching aspiring farmers.
Her entry into agriculture was pushed much less by ardour than necessity.
“I spent lots of time making use of for jobs, however finally I realised I used to be losing time as a result of the competitors was very excessive and everybody was on the lookout for employment,” Murekatete informed The New Instances.
Even whereas nonetheless at college, she had anticipated the opportunity of struggling to seek out formal employment. To organize herself, she took on small informal jobs and saved no matter cash she might.
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“I did completely different small actions, together with informal work and grazing animals, whereas saving little by little,” she mentioned.
Over time, she amassed about Rwf1 million, which turned the seed capital for her first poultry undertaking.
Beginning small amid setbacks
Murekatete started with a small flock of chickens and modest expectations. Though earnings have been initially low, she constantly reinvested earnings to purchase extra chicks and broaden the enterprise.
She quickly found that poultry farming was much more demanding than she had imagined.
“Feed is dear, chicks are expensive, and illnesses can wipe out every little thing in a short time,” she mentioned. “There have been many challenges, however I stored going as a result of I believed the enterprise might develop.”
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One in every of her largest setbacks got here in 2021 when robust winds destroyed certainly one of her poultry homes shortly after the Covid-19 interval. With out insurance coverage, recovering from the losses was tough.
She additionally struggled with fluctuating market demand.
“There have been occasions when many farmers introduced hen to the market without delay, which decreased demand and pushed costs down,” she mentioned. “Even so, I by no means gave up.”
The challenges finally pushed her to rethink her strategy and diversify past poultry manufacturing alone.
Increasing the enterprise
Because the enterprise grew, Murekatete sought assist from monetary establishments and improvement programmes to scale up operations.
She later joined the SAVE programme, supported by the Mastercard Basis, which helps younger agripreneurs transition from casual farming into structured companies by coaching, mentorship and entry to expertise.
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Earlier than becoming a member of the programme, she produced animal feed manually utilizing primary instruments at residence. A significant turning level got here when she acquired fashionable feed-processing tools price Rwf10 million.
“The machines helped me cease counting on exterior processing providers and cut back transport prices,” she mentioned. “Proudly owning my very own feed-processing tools had at all times been my dream.”
The programme additionally strengthened her expertise in monetary administration, file preserving and enterprise planning.
Right this moment, she raises greater than 5,000 chickens throughout 4 poultry homes, every able to accommodating about 3,000 birds. She has additionally established a coaching centre the place cooperatives and particular person farmers study poultry farming and feed manufacturing methods.
Her agribusiness has since expanded into chilli and vanilla cultivation, in addition to pig farming with improved breeds reminiscent of Landrace and Pietrain.
Poultry manure is reused as fertiliser, serving to cut back manufacturing prices by an built-in farming system.
She can also be getting ready to bundle and market animal feed merchandise below her personal registered model.
Inspiring younger individuals
For Murekatete, one of many largest classes from her journey is the significance of beginning, even with restricted assets.
“My recommendation to younger individuals, particularly girls, is to not concern beginning small,” she mentioned. “Many need instantaneous success, however constructing a enterprise requires endurance, persistence and braveness.”
She believes agriculture continues to supply important alternatives for younger individuals keen to strategy it as a enterprise relatively than a final resort.
Her ambitions proceed to develop. One in every of her long-term targets is to ascertain a father or mother inventory operation and produce chicks domestically to scale back dependence on imports.
She can also be exploring various feed sources as rising poultry feed costs proceed to have an effect on farmers.
“Via numerous trainings, we’re studying new strategies of animal feed manufacturing, together with utilizing grasses and bug farming reminiscent of black soldier flies,” she mentioned. “Agriculture is consistently evolving, and there are numerous alternatives for these keen to study and enhance.”
From months spent looking out unsuccessfully for employment, Murekatete now sees entrepreneurship as greater than survival, it’s a path to independence and long-term development.
