[en] This paper investigated the impact of regional integration on the agricultural trade development. Using a literature review, the study showed that the results of common agricultural initiatives aiming at agriculture sector and agricultural trade development have not been convincing due to lack of appropriate mechanisms and institutional actions to operationalize regional agricultural policy and strategy at the national level. The paper also revealed that Rwanda benefited from its accession to EAC, especially in terms of the ease of access to regional markets through the establishment of the Common Market, the Customs Union and the alleviation of some of regional trade barriers for basic foodstuffs and consumer goods. This led to an increased value of its agricultural products exports to neighboring countries. The analysis of the Net Export Index and the Grubel-Lloyd measure for maize, potato and bean revealed that Rwanda is a net importer of maize and a net exporter of potato and bean. For these two staple foods, the results revealed that if Rwanda manages, through policy and institutional actions, to remove or alleviate the bottlenecks that prevent farmers from producing enough for export, it can have a competitive advantage on neighboring countries' markets whose access has been facilitated by its accession to the EAC.
