Amidst the ongoing scarcity of food in the region, Kirehe district will be less affected due to its recently constructed five grain-bulking centers that will not only improve food security but also facilitate trade towards farmers.
The construction of the storage centers was supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and it will be managed privately by Enterprise Nkubili Alfred and Sons (ENAS).
Officiating at the launching ceremony, the minister of trade and industry (MINICOM) François Kanimba noted that the granaries would also improve production among farmers leading to better sales.
“This facility is for the farmers, and ENAS will find a market for them. Kirehe has set an example from which other districts will emulate. I promise that this will be replicated in other parts of the country,” the minister remarked.
The stores are equipped with modern drying, cleaning, weighing and storage facilities, which will help increase the quality of the harvest, and to maintain it for longer periods of time. This in turn will help producers with surpluses compete in domestic and regional markets.
It will also allow smallholder farmers to sell when prices are highest, not just at harvest time when prices are lowest given its capacity of 8,000 metric tons, aimed to benefit 18,000 mostly maize smallholder farmers in the area.
The granaries will change the farmers poor marketing strategy whereby they’ve historically been forced to sell quickly after the harvest, as the general lack of adequate storage facilities regularly resulted in the loss of more than 40% of their crop after harvest to pests, mold and other causes if stored more than a week or two.
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