Food security a major concern - Kabaija

RWAMAGANA – The Governor of Eastern Province, Dr. Ephraim Kabaija, has urged local leaders to encourage residents to build better storage mechanisms within their farms for the purposes of boosting food security in the region. The Governor added that poor storage of food may frustrate the government’s crop intensification programme which has started showing results in the province. “There is a problem in the general food storage area…this should be your primary concern. It is useless to produce what you cannot store,” he told local leaders. “Food security is our major concern which is why we cannot take anything lightly.” He was addressing a provincial security meeting in Rwamagana on Monday. François Niyotwagira, Ngoma district Mayor reiterated the need to devise better methods of crop storage in rural areas. “We recently checked where residents stored beans and found out that what was stored had started rotting. This is an issue we have to address immediately,” he noted. Nathalie Niyonigira, Kirehe district agriculture officer, noted that proper storage facilities would not only ensure food security, but also help farmers sell their produce at higher prices during a period of scarcity. “Because the rural communities are unable to store produce …most of them are unable to take full advantage of the higher market prices once the time allows,” she said. According to the officials, districts have started constructing huge and modern stores to assist tackle the challenge. Ends