After receiving an inspection and quarantine certificate for entry into China, 200 kilograms of dried red pepper from Rwanda entered Changsha, Hunan province, on Wednesday.

It was the first time China had imported dried red peppers from Africa.

China has heavy demand for the spice and has the largest group of consumers in the world. The country imported 119,900 metric tons of dried red peppers in the first half of this year, an increase of more than 45 percent.

At the first China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo held in Changsha in June 2019, GK International, a foreign trade enterprise based in Hunan, expressed its intent to purchase the peppers from enterprises in Rwanda.

"Under the contract, the supplier in Rwanda will export a total of 50,000 tons to Hunan over five years," said Yu Jian, president of GK International. "At the same time, we will export pepper planting and processing equipment — including breeders, planters, transplanters and dryers — to Rwanda, helping to expand the scale of pepper planting and processing there and promoting the modernization of local agriculture."

Dieudonne Twahirwa of the Gashora Farm in Rwanda, said, "We were so excited when we heard that the protocols between our government and the Chinese had been signed. This will give us opportunities to get into a good market and will provide local farmers a sustainable and reliable market."

He added that he expected sales volume would increase and livelihoods would improve.