EASTERN PROVINCE

NYAGATARE — Scores of residents of Ryabega Cell, Nyagatare district have accused cell leaders of bias in allocating land and enforcing the new agricultural transformation policy.

The new agriculture reform requires livestock farmers to sell off their local cattle breeds in order to rear exotic cattle breeds, and adoption of modern ways of farming.  

The residents claim that some people are forced to sell off their local cattle breeds, yet others known to local leaders have retained them.

Farmers who talked to The New Times on Friday said, "We know people who have been favoured in one way or another by the local authorities to get land here despite having other plots of land in the Karangazi Sector.”

When contacted on Saturday however, the Ryabega cell Executive Secretary, Peter Ruteshereka dismissed the claims, saying those who got land in the area were genuinely selected.

"The Land Redistribution Commission with the help of Karangazi Sector authorities determine and allocate land to most of the people here,” Ruteshereka said.

On the issue of some farmers still rearing local cattle breeds, he said they were still looking for the markets to sell off their animals, a claim farmers dismissed as lame excuse.

Meanwhile, the livestock farmers have also expressed concern about the agricultural reform which they said is costly as it requires building modern kraals and growing animal feeds. 

"Appropriate uniform mechanisms must be adopted to transform rural farming,” the farmers say.

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