Farmers urged to consolidate land as planting season begins

Farmers have been urged to embrace the land consolidation policy.Officials of the Land Husbandry and Hillside Irrigation Project (LWH) and the Rural Sector Support Project (RSSP), under the Ministry of Agriculture, made the comments during the launch of farming Season A, last week.The local leaders together with officials from the projects joined farmers in the launch of the season held in Rwabicuma Sector of Nyanza District.Jeanne Izabiriza, the Executive Secretary of the Southern Province, urged farmers to work in clusters and continue with the process of land consolidation.“This activity started in Nyaruguru District and continued in other districts. The message I can give Rwandans is to work in groups and continue the process of land consolidation because the benefits of working together has greatly improved farmer’s produce,” said Izabiriza.The Mayor of Nyanza District Abdallah Murenzi said the district joined farmers to underline their support in the start of this cultivating season.“The purpose of choosing Rwabicuma Sector [for the launch] is because the sector already has terraces ready for cultivation on 740 hectares and this is a big impact that has importance to the residents in improving their produce,” said the Mayor.Elsewhere, in the Eastern Province the launch took place in Gatsibo District, where officials and farmers planted improved maize seeds. Residents were advised to learn from model farmers in order to increase their yields.Speaking at the event, the Director General for Rwanda Agricultural Board (RAB) Jean Jacques Mbanigaba Muhinda, urged farmers to apply the right amount of fertilisers, saying this would increase their productivity from 3.5 tonnes to 5 tonnes per hectare.Farmers were also asked to maintain the land husbandry infrastructures like terraces and canals stressing that they cost government a lot of money (1.8-2 million per hectare).“There’s no any other way the government can benefit from these infrastructures other than having the farmers making them more productive through increased produce and generating more income,” said Mbanigaba.The LWH-RSSP District Coordinator, Théogene Uwashebuja noted that due to various interventions farmers’ incomes has increased in the last three seasons.Immaculate Nyarindamari, a farmer says after discovering the secret in commercial farming, she became a lead farmer and a role model to many who had refused to let go of their traditional banana plantations.The event was attended by over 1400 farmers in Nyanza District and 6 hectares were prepared while in Gastibo 500 farmers turned up and 2 hectares were planted one with maize another covered a banana demonstration plantation.

National

Farmers urged to consolidate land as planting season begins