Growing market potential of solar cold storage for horticulture products in Rwanda

The document highlights the critical role of cold storage in Rwanda's horticulture sector, where a lack of reliable electricity—with only 23 percent of the rural population having access in 2018—contributes to significant food losses, such as an estimated 56 percent of tomatoes. An FAO assessment indicates that achieving the government's export target of 46,000 tonnes of horticulture products by 2024 could create a market potential for solar cold storage of up to USD 6,105,000, assuming a 75 percent adoption rate.

• Limited electricity access in rural Rwanda hinders the deployment of cold storage for perishable goods; in 2018, only 23 percent of the rural population had access to electricity.
• Horticulture is a significant part of Rwanda's economy, representing an estimated 3.2 percent of domestic GDP and 9.7 percent of agricultural GDP in 2013, yet it suffers from high post-harvest losses.
• The lack of cold storage is a primary driver of food loss in Rwanda's tomato value chain, with an estimated 56 percent of produced tomatoes lost.
• An FAO assessment suggests that if Rwanda meets its export target of 46,000 tonnes of horticulture products by 2024, the market potential for solar cold storage could reach USD 6,105,000, based on a 75 percent adoption rate.

APA

Puri, M., Rincon, L., & Matsoglou, I. (2021). Growing market potential of solar cold storage for horticulture products in Rwanda. Sustainable Energy for All. https://www.seforall.org/stories-of-success/growing-market-potential-of-solar-cold-storage-for-horticulture-products

Chicago

Puri, Manas, Luis Rincon, and Irini Matsoglou. Growing market potential of solar cold storage for horticulture products in Rwanda. Sustainable Energy for All, 2021. https://www.seforall.org/stories-of-success/growing-market-potential-of-solar-cold-storage-for-horticulture-products.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Puri |first1=Manas |last2=Rincon |first2=Luis |last3=Matsoglou |first3=Irini |title=Growing market potential of solar cold storage for horticulture products in Rwanda |publisher=Sustainable Energy for All |date=30 August 2021 |url=https://www.seforall.org/stories-of-success/growing-market-potential-of-solar-cold-storage-for-horticulture-products |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{puri2021growing, author = {Puri, Manas and Rincon, Luis and Matsoglou, Irini}, title = {{Growing market potential of solar cold storage for horticulture products in Rwanda}}, institution = {Sustainable Energy for All}, year = {2021}, month = aug, url = {https://www.seforall.org/stories-of-success/growing-market-potential-of-solar-cold-storage-for-horticulture-products}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }