The government has pledged to provide free Irish potato plantlets to farmers this season due to their scarcity in the market. Prime Minister Dr Pierre Damien Habumuremyi announced this Tuesday at a meeting that brought together officials from various government ministries as well as provincial governors.“The Mministry of Agriculture should look for potato plantlets for farmers by the end of this month (October), besides devising a new permanent solution,” said Habumuremyi. According to the Governor of the Northern Province, Aimé Bosenibamwe, the scarcity was a result of high local and regional demand. “People used to keep Irish potatoes for planting. But the demand has become high in East Africa,” said Bosenibamwe, adding that one kilogramme of plantlets costs Rwf 400.He added that speculators had created an artificial scarcity in order to make a quick buck, and requested the ministries of Agriculture and Local Government to group poor farmers into associations to get credit to acquire fertilisers. The Prime Minister also reiterated the government’s call to plant more trees, especially along roads and river banks.He asked the ministries of Natural Resources and Local Government to map chunks of uncultivated land to ensure that they become more productive.Participants at the meeting further urged local leaders to sensitise farmers on controlling soil erosion. They were also tasked to submit a report of the achievements and challenges within three months.The Ministry of Natural Resources was also requested to institute a committee of experts within a month to advise on meteorological issues to facilitate policy makers on issues connected to land .
