BURERA —Farmers of COAMV Cooperative in Kabunga in Burera district have been trained on how to safely apply agrochemicals on their crops. The training being conducted by experienced agronomists was facilitated by Balton, a leading agro input supplier in the country, aimed at educating farmers on the effective use of agrochemicals. Aimable Gahire, a Balton agronomist said the farmers had some prior knowledge of the necessary inputs. “They (farmers) have overcome misconceptions that rain affects Irish potatoes,” Gahire said. COAMV coordinator, Claudien Ngoga, thanked Balton for the free training and encouraged other cooperatives to take advantage of the knowledge to enhance their production. Bob Gatera, Balton’s general manager, reiterated his company’s commitment to helping small scale farmers in Rwanda, saying, “Even though Balton has the capacity to supply agricultural machinery like Massey Fergusson tractors, greenhouses, irrigation systems, we also have a plan for Rwanda’s small scale farmer who would like to increase yields and profits.” Gatera appealed to the government to discourage cheap, poorly packed and adulterated products from finding their way onto the market. Balton also supplies insecticides, fungicides, herbicides (weed killers), spray pumps and other fertilisers. Meanwhile, farmers have welcomed the use of a fungicide called Victory that effectively controls fungal diseases in potatoes and tomatoes. “Victory is an excellent product because unlike mancozeb which just prevents the plant from disease, Victory offers protection and treatment at the same time,” Gahire said of fungicide. He dispelled fears among farmers that rains cause plant diseases, saying it is simply an agent that spreads many fungal infections. The wide use of Mancozeb/Dithane every after raining is wastage, it encourages pesticide resistance and it is environmentally unsafe, he told the farmers. Ends
