Kirehe District has revealed plans to grow maize on 26,000 hectares, with a target of harvesting of 60,000 tonnes of grain, a top district official has said.

Nyagatare District has the second highest target of 16,000 hectares of land, while five other districts have set a target of 10,000 hectares each.

Speaking to The New Times, the Mayor of Kirehe District, Protais Murayire, said that 70 percent of the land has already been cleared for plantation. He said that last season, the district produced maize on 17,000 hectares which produced 30,000 tonnes.

Besides farmers’ commitment, the official said the community-based Kirehe Watershed Management Project (KWAMP), under the Ministry of Agriculture, has played a major role in transforming the agricultural produce of the district.

The Coordinator of KWAMP, Janvier Gasasira, said the seven-year project is aimed at promoting agricultural activities in the district by enabling farmers produce enough for themselves as well as surplus for markets.

He said the project puts emphasis on fighting soil erosion, promoting fertilizers, and land registration.

"We are putting in place a Community Innovation Centres (CIC) where farmers have to get information on how to overcome challenges related to cultivation and stock farming,” Gasasira said.

The project, which has been in place for one year, is funded by the government and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) at a cost of US$ 49.32 million.

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