GATSIBO-Members of a rice cooperative in Gatsibo district known by its acronym, COPRORIZ, have set a standard price at which traders will buy their produce this season.

At a meeting of cooperative members, this week, the price of rice was set at Rwf 242 and Rwf 226 per kilogram for the two rice brands.

According to Cooperative’s president, James Karangwa, the new price was agreed upon after advertising tenders for prospective rice dealers.

"Today we opened bids. We have agreed to the above prices and we expect to sell over 1,000 tonnes of rice this season,” he said.

 Mediatrice Mukarubayiza, a Cooperative member welcomed the new prices.

"I have been a rice farmer since 2005.We used to sell rice at lower prices but these new prices will boost our welfare,” she said.

Meanwhile, Ivan Museruka Rwigamba, an inspector at the Rwanda Cooperative Agency, urged members to develop a savings culture by joining savings and credit cooperatives, Umurenge Sacco.

Rwigamba told members to always consider savings, business ventures and adopt cooperative policies.

"These are the best three things you must embrace in order to become role models. If you don’t save, share profits and cooperate with other cooperatives, you cannot develop rapidly,” he said.

Rwigamba added that the government had injected a lot of funds in rice growing this season and hence, farmers must work hard to realise value for money.

"The government incurred a lot of costs in rice growing this year…as a cooperative, you should work exceptionally hard to become role models and register high yields,” he said.

Started in 2003, COPRORIZ Ndende has about 1,800 members who grow rice on 430 hectares of land that connects the Rugarama, Rwimbogo, Gitoki sectors in Gatsibo District and some parts of Murundi sector in Kayonza District.

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