GATSIBO - Gatsibo District harvested agricultural produce worth more than Rwf 18 billion from Season B.

This was disclosed, yesterday, as the district marked the season’s harvest festival, Umuganura, an event organised to celebrate farmer’s hard work and achievements, at end of every planting season.

The Mayor of Gatsibo, Ambroise Ruboneza, revealed that the district reaped much from various crops including beans, maize, coffee, rice, and bananas.

"This is all due to the commitment and determination of the people of Gatsibo to end poverty,” Ruboneza said.

In her remarks, the Rural Sector Support Project (RSSP) Coordinator, Jolly Dusabe, who represented the Minister of Agriculture, congratulated the farmers for the achievements.

She petitioned them to take advantage of the current rains to prepare land on the hillsides, marshlands as well kitchen gardens in time for the new season.

"That’s what we have to do; prepare early so that we can reap more from the upcoming season and increase our incomes,” she said
 
She urged farmers to invest in efforts that would increase agricultural output, noting that the government had played its role through the provision of seeds and fertilisers.

"Seeds as well as fertilisers are available at the Sector. What we need is to increase the efforts to double the output,” Dusabe added.

The Mayor urged the residents to embrace Umuganura, underlining that it was of great value to the Rwandan culture and history.

"Our forefathers had a spirit of working together through such activities like ‘Umuganda’, and ‘Ubudehe’,” Ruboneza noted

"However, this may slightly have changed because of the rate at which the country and the world is evolving. But the spirit, ideas and acts of celebrating Umuganura have not changed”.

Ends