The National Prison Service (NPS) has embarked on a large scale production of hybrid maize seeds in prisons countrywide.

Speaking to The New Times yesterday the Commissioner General of the National Prisons Service (NPS), Mary Gahonzire, confirmed the development saying that the initiative will increase Prisons’ output as well as produce high value seeds.

"This is in line with the objective of NPS to reduce government expenditure on prisons as well as reducing government expenditure on imported certified seeds,” he said.

"The land allocated for seed multiplication is between 1,500 and 2,000 hectares. NPS also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Agriculture to provide technical assistance as well fertilizers to prisons,” she stressed.

Gahonzire said that the ministry will no longer be going to Kenya to purchase maize seeds as they will be buying them from NPS.

"We expect to get a lot of money, ranging from Rwf 450-500 million from the harvest of the maize produced at the three prisons of Nsinda, Miyove and Kibungo,” she noted.

At the launch of hybrid 513 type of maize seed at Nsinda Prison Farm recently, the Agriculture Minister, Dr. Agnes Kalibata, said that the introduction of the hybrid seed is meant to foster the general sustainability of food in the country and the prisons have become great partners of the ministry in crop production.

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