Farmers decry low prices as Irish potatoes flood markets

Marie Therese Uzamukunda has for years committed all her efforts toward developing her land, to ensure she graduated from subsistence to commercial farming. The mother of four and resident of Buringa Cell, Bugeshi Sector in Rubavu District, has for the past six years engaged in modern farming. Although she is able to provide for her family, she still thinks the returns she gets from the work she does are not commensurate with the energy and resources she puts in her five-hectare farmland. Speaking to The New Times last week, Uzamukunda said she rotates Irish potatoes and pyrethrum to maximise output but this has not been as successful as she hoped it would be.She attributes her woes to price fluctuations, especially for Irish potatoes, saying that she sometimes gets less than what she invested. “I have practiced agriculture for several years but started modernising it six or seven years ago. It is a sector that requires a lot of energy, resources and patience,” she says. Uzamukunda cites an example of when the prices of Irish potatoes dropped and she was forced to sell her output at giveaway prices. “Last season, I cultivated Irish potatoes on five hectares and harvested over 100 tonnes but I have sold half of the produce at Rwf80 per kilogramme. I have to take any amount the market dictates because I lack a facility to store the produce and wait for better prices,” she said. The price dropped from Rwf200 in September to Rwf150 a kilo in October and has since nosedived to below Rwf100 on the market stalls, which means that the price from the farm is much less. And because this has been a bumper season, the price is expected to keep dropping. The farmer says that to get such a harvest, she had invested a lot of money in buying fertilisers, seeds and paying casual workers. For example, a can of pesticide of 25kg (known as ethane) costs Rwf80,000, the amount she can get from selling a tonne of Irish potatoes at the current price. “We apply ethane at least three times per season. Besides, we need to apply other chemicals, pay workers, among other costs,” she says. Diversify market “Putting all your efforts and resources in agriculture and fetching little because the market is saturated can be discouraging,” Uzamukunda says. Other Irish potato farmers from the Northern and Western provinces have equally expressed disappointment as the market price drops. Evariste Ndayambaje, a resident of Rugarama Sector, Burera District, says: “Comparing the efforts we put in agriculture such as buying seeds, fertilisers and pesticides, we expect a better price.” Irish potatoes are a staple food for many in the country. The crop is mostly grown in north-western Rwanda. Farmers have attributed the bumper harvests to favourable weather conditions and heeding advice from agriculture experts. Measures in place The government and Private Sector Federation have assured farmers of price stability through putting in place improved storage facilities and processing plants. Last month, a project was launched by the ministries of Agriculture, and Trade and Industry which will see processing plants built in Musanze and Nyabihu districts in the Northern and Western provinces, respectively. The plants will be manufacturing chips and other products as part of broader efforts to add value to the produce. Officials believe the move would enable farmers sell their produce at a good price. Officials also urge farmers to join cooperatives in order to be able to negotiate for better prices. For Private Sector Federation, they are running a project dubbed Linking Farmers to Market (Lifam) which seeks to address situations where farmers get stuck with their produce due to lack of market information. It would also increase their knowledge in post harvest handling of produce, among other challenges, improve farmers’ activities, production and build farmers’ capacity, and ensure that farmers treat agriculture and livestock as other businesses, according to officials.

News

Farmers decry low prices as Irish potatoes flood markets