Soybean and sunflower farmers have appealed for financial and technical support from the government to help boost their production and offset the high prices of cooking oil.

The two crops are used as raw materials in the making of cooking oil, which continues to register a surge in prices on the Rwandan market due to a supply shortage.

Soybean and sunflower farmers have argued that they could help plug the cooking oil gap by increasing the production of raw materials locally.

However, in order to bolster local production of the two crops, growers need support in terms of finances and knowledge of better farming practices.  

According to Emmanuel Munyantwari, the president of COPROMAGI—a Gatsibo-based cooperative that groups together soybean and maize growers—they need irrigation schemes to deal with changing weather patterns.

Unreliable rains and the absence of professional advice continue to undermine the quality and quantity of their output and effectively hurt their fortunes, he added.

The cooperative has nine hectares, which can produce some five tonnes of soybeans in a single harvest, but they continue to struggle during the dry season owing to the lack of irrigation facilities.

Experts in agriculture say that average harvests in irrigated farms are 90 per cent higher than in rain-fed farms.

Growers have also decried the low prices of soybeans, saying they do not reflect the high cost of farm inputs.

Munyantwari believes that, for example, seed subsidies would help offset the discrepancies.

A kilogramme of soybean is between Rwf300 and Rwf500, he added.  

In addition, growers have asked for support in form of best agriculture practices as well as business skills

Alphonsine Nzamwita, a sunflower grower in Gatsibo District, hinted at similar challenges, specifically financial constraints that limit their ability to produce more.  

He also appealed for support in form of improved seeds.

Dr Charles Bucagu, Deputy Director General of Rwanda Agriculture Board in charge of Agriculture Development at Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB), said they are working with some farmers on improving the quality of seeds.

"We are working with seed multipliers to improve the quality of seeds and make them more affordable,” Bucagu said.

Without specifying the quantities produced every year, Bucagu said that the production of soybean is still low.

He, however, disclosed that RAB is engaging farmers in the eastern province where the crop is more favourable for growth on what should be done to boost production.

For sunflowers, Bucago said production is low because the crop has been cultivated on scattered land for home consumption, instead of commercial purposes.

He advises farmers to adopt the land consolidation method, particularly in the southern province where the crop is more suitable for growth.

Local cooking oil producers say that they rely on imports for their raw materials, which consequently increases the price of the commodity.

Limited movement of people and cargo, which was imposed to control the spread of coronavirus in the wake of the outbreak of the pandemic, they say, caused a supply shortage as it affected imports, and hence a rise in prices.

The government says it was drawing up a scheme where farmers can access quality seeds on credit and pay after selling off their harvest.

Even as the country faces a drop in cooking oil, which has occasioned a rise in prices, Rwanda exports the commodity.

For instance, in 2019 the country exported 37,399 kilogrammes of cooking oil, generating Rwf257.8 million while re-exported were equivalent to 42,664,161 kilogrammes worth Rwf33.7 billion.

In 2020, 20,697 kilogrammes worth Rwf418 million were exported while re-exports were 37,652,496 kilogrammes, which brought in Rwf35 billion.