EASTERN PROVINCE

KAYONZA — Farmers in Kayonza district have started harvesting water melons introduced in the country, by Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA).

"The harvests from the pilot garden were impressive, an indication that the crop can grow well in Rwanda," Thadeo Mukezabatware, the director of planning and programmes in ADRA, said this Wednesday in an interview with The New Times in Mwiri sector, during the harvest.

"Most of the water melons sold in Kigali are imported from Uganda, and are sold at higher prices. We introduced the plant here to see if they can grow well, and indeed the results are good. We organised farmers in Mwiri sector to form cooperatives and start growing water melons with an aim of helping them to get out of poverty," Mukezabatware further said.

He estimated that about 2,000 fruits would be harvested just from the pilot garden on 1/4 hectare. He said farmers in turn would earn about Frw200,000 from the harvest after selling each fruit at Frw1,000.

Launching the maiden harvest, the mayor of Kayonza Damas Muhororo commended ADRA for introducing the crop and urged residents to grow it in abundance.

"I appreciate this crop, it is grown on a small piece of land yet it produces reasonable yields. These fruits are marketable, it is possible residents can reap much out of them," Muhororo said, and appealed to residents to utilise the chance and grow more of the crop.

In a separate interview with Epimaque Rutaremara, an agricultural officer for Mwiri sector, who also supervised the growing of the crop, he revealed that the secret behind successful growth of water melons lies in intense care.

"If you give it (water melon) care by irrigating it, mulching it, you start harvesting fruits just in four month. It takes four months to grow but it needs care," Rutaremara said.

He explained that water melons are suitably grown during the rainy season; if not one must irrigate the crop since it requires a lot of water to grow. He also said that the crop can be grown alongside other crops on the same garden such as maize. He said it requires two meters spacing between one seed and the other when planting.

In group discussion with farmers, they pledged to embrace the growing of the crop saying, that in addition to reaping money out of it, they would also feed on it.

"It is our chance, we shall grow it in abundance in order to get money, but we shall also feed on it because it is delicious," Augustin Nsengiyunva, one of the farmers said.

After testing it, officials from ADRA, World Vision, district, sector and farmers said the fruit was ‘so delicious.’

ADRA official revealed that the water melon project is sponsored by USAID through World Vision.

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