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The economy of Rwanda is overwhelmingly agricultural, with most of the workers engaged in subsistence farming. Economic development in Rwanda is hindered by the needs of its large population and by its lack of easy access to the sea (and thus to foreign markets). The chief food crops are bananas, cassava, pulses, sorghum, and potatoes. The principal cash crops are coffee, tea, and pyrethrum. Large numbers of cattle, goats, and sheep are raised; most of the cattle are owned by the Tutsi. Food must be imported, as domestic production has fallen below subsistence levels. Food shortages were sharply exacerbated by the civil strife and severe refugee problems of the early 1990s, and exports were devastated. By the late 1990s the economy appeared to be reviving slowly.
Cassiterite and wolframite are mined in significant quantities, and natural gas is produced at Lake Kivu. Rwanda's industries are limited to small factories that manufacture textiles, chemicals, cement, and basic consumer goods such as processed food, beverages (especially beer), clothing, and footwear. The country has a good road network but no railroads. Kigali has an international airport.
The annual value of Rwanda's imports is usually considerably higher than its earnings from exports. The main imports are foodstuffs, machinery, motor vehicles, fuel, and construction materials; the principal exports are coffee, casseritite, wolframite, tea, pyrethrum, and hides. The chief trading partners are Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and Kenya. Rwanda depends on outside aid to balance its national budget, to finance foreign purchases, and to fund development projects.
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