Nyaruguru promotes cash crops to fight poverty

NYARUGURU DISTRICT LEADERS have embarked on promoting tea and coffee farming to boost household incomes and fight poverty among residents.With about 62 per cent of its population living under the poverty line, the district remains one of the poorest in the country.As majority of its population relies entirely on agriculture, local leaders believe developing the sector would significantly uplift the lives of residents and speed up development.Mayor Francois Habitegeko said the plan is to support tea and coffee farmers to keep on improving the quality and quantity of their crops.The hilly district is favourable to tea and coffee production due to its climate and soil acidity.Increasing production and value addition for the yield will ensure that local farmers get a share on the market, according to Habitegeko.Officials said a new tea processing factory will soon open in Nyaruguru, bringing the number of such facilities in the district to three.Plans to set up another two factories are also underway, in partnership with the National Agriculture Export Development Board, Habitegeko added.He said the factories are expected to improve the quality of tea produced in the area.Habitegeko said coffee will also receive attention with farmers benefiting from a three-year project planned under the district’s five-year development plan (2013-2017).“The project will reach more than 3,000 coffee farmers who will be linked to markets,” Habitegeko said.However, local leaders say they will not only promote growing of cash crops, but also champion the increase of soil fertility, reducing soil erosion and improving land consolidation.