WESTERN PROVINCE

RUBAVU — Maize farmers within  Western Province have been advised to grow more maize due to a readily available market at the Mukamira Maize Products Factory.

Addressing maize farmers and representatives of farmer’s cooperative from Gakenke, Nyabihu, Musanze and Rubavu districts, Benon Nduwayezu, the director of Mukamira Maize factory said they were ready to buy all maize grains produced in the area.

The farmers had convened for a three-day workshop in Gisenyi town aimed at designing strategies to improve maize production as a tool of poverty reduction.

The training was sponsored by the Mukamira Maize factory together with World Food Programme.

According to Nduwayezu, the workshop was part of their attempts to supplement government’s policy of promoting commercial agriculture.

"We targeted cooperative unions in various districts of the Western Province because they easily reach out and interact with other farmers. We will offer extension services to these farmer groups in a concerted bid to boost their productive efforts,” he said.

He called upon the residents to take advantage of the favourable weather conditions in the province, while embracing modern techniques to raise food production in Rwanda as a positive response to the government’s bold move of undertaking the green revolution programme. He urged farmers to change from small and fragmented farming to large-scale commercial farming.

Benjamin Ruhumuriza a farmer from Gakenke district said maize farming has assisted him to kick out  poverty, and advised other farmers to grow the crop which he said was suitable for the province.

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