NYAGATARE/NGORORERO – Farmers in Nyagatare district have been urged to plant trees on their farms as a mechanism to foster conservation of their land.

An official from the National Forest Authority (NFA), Alphonse Mutuyeyezu, made the call on Monday during the official launch of the tree planting week in Musheri sector, Nyagatare district.

‘These trees help to fight long drought, you should embrace tree planting,’he said.

He told residents that planting trees is the only way to deal with the effects of the global climatic change.
During the exercise, 13,200 trees were planted on 18 kilometers of Musheri road sides.

According to sector leaders, a total of 93,000 trees will be planted in different parts of the sector. Nyagatare district was reported to be among the districts in the country with forests eaten up by termites.

Phillip Mutarambirwa, who represented the district, advised residents to always plant trees that are resistant to termites. 

Meanwhile, in Ngororero district, Education Minister, Dr. Charles Murigande also urged the locals to embrace tree planting.

"Tree planting is beneficial to the society generally but most importantly the future generation stands to gain tremendously,” Murigande said.

The Minister was speaking during a tree planting exercise in Gishwati forest.

The Reforestation Support Program (PAREF) which promotes and implements the plantation of trees in part of Gishwati forest targets to plant over 20,000 trees by the end of this week.

According to Dieudonné Kambanda, the communications officer of the project, residents who have stubbornly refused to relocate from the forest have continuously frustrated the reforestation programme.

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