Government and business leaders are discussing better ways of handling crops after harvest and assessing the readiness of markets in relation to the increased maize production in the country.

According to Geraldine Mukeshimana, the Agriculture minister, the increase in production from 175,000 tonnes to over 900,000 tonnes last year can be attributed to the Crop Intensification Programme that was launched in 2008.

However, there are still challenges, she warned.

"There are still many gaps in tackling post-harvest losses while the number of farmers in cooperatives is still too small to benefit from our interventions,” Mukeshimana said.

"Normally our interventions target cooperatives not individual farmers. However, as regards to market, we appeal to farmers to supply their harvest to cell and sector granaries in order to get better prices,” she noted.

The agriculture sector largely depends on government for survival. However, more partnerships are required to boost the sector.

"only 44,000 tonnes of the total produce is stored. So we urge the private sector to invest in those services in order to benefit more farmers,” Mukeshimana added.

Poor quality cereals

In 2010, Rwanda Grain and Cereals Corporation was set up to purchase farmers’ harvest through collection centres at an agreed price.

Unfortunately, not every farmer has benefited from it. According to sources, some of the cereals are rejected on grounds of either being rotten, broken, poorly dried or badly threshed.

Quality, according to Trade and Industry minister Francois Kanimba, determines how much a farmer is paid for their produce.

He says if a farmer has good quality maize, for instance, he will most likely sell at a good price.

He said 500,000 tonnes of maize are needed for immediate domestic consumption while the balance is taken to the market. But Rwanda also imports maize.

In 2012, the country imported 100,000 tonnes of maize. Quality later dropped to 64,000 tonnes in 2013 and 40,000 tonnes last year.

"Currently only 17 per cent of farmers use recommended seeds which affects quality of maize. Because of this, we cannot say that farmers lack market for their produce. There is also lack of proper and enough post-harvest handling interventions,” Kanimba says.

Jean Pierre Nkozenunguka, a farmer in Ngoma District, says experience has taught them to value proper storage of crops.

"In 2013 when we stored our produce, we earned Rwf320 per kilogramme, while those who didn’t were paid only Rwf140 per kilogramme,” he said.

Kanimba says cooperatives are very helpful in farming.

He cautions farmers and cooperatives against actions that could affect their relations or lose trust of the banks.

"Farmers need to be paid immediately. If a cooperative does not pay promptly, farmers will refuse to supply their harvest to them in the future. On the other hand, cooperatives need loans to buy the produce and then supply it,” he says.

Kanimba adds that the East African Commodity Exchange Company that stores the harvest is about to establish a system that connects maize farmers and buyerrs as well as information on prices.

Training farmers

Damien Mugabo, the Director General of Rwanda Cooperative Agency, says their group has grown from 60 in 2008 to 500 farmers currently.

Officials and farmers say banks are still reluctant to extend loans to farmers and cooperatives.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw