The National Agricultural Exportation Board (NAEB) in collaboration with Western Province has encouraged farmers to increase the quality and quantity of cash crops for domestic consumption and exports.
Western province holds 50% of Rwanda’s agricultural exports including tea, coffee, pyrethrum, vegetables, fruits and flowers among others.
Farmers have been requested to increase the harvest of coffee and tea from 8 tons to 12 tons per year.
The mobilization follows farmers who misallocated donated farmyard manure where some sold fertilizers or used them in other agricultural activities which reduced the harvest.
The Director General of NEB Amb. Kayonga George William said that they are ready to support farmers from Western province to increase the harvest since it is helpful for themselves and the country in general.
“We will facilitate them to access seeds, follow up their fields, and empower cooperatives’ management to make sure that expected aid reaches farmers as a bid to increase harvest per hectare.”
Uzaribara Denys, the president of Pfunda Cooperative which plants tea said that they will respect guidelines to increase the harvest.
“We have started and the yields started increasing. We have started harvest 10 tons per hectare and we are ready to increase efforts to make sure provided fertilizers enhance productivity,” he said.
He further unveiled a plan to collaborate with local leaders and industry owners to increase both the quality and quantity of cash crops.
Even though farmers plan to boost the harvest, they are still faced with challenges of finding seeds to replace damaged ones, inadequate farmland and poor state of roads hampering transportation of harvest from the field.
Based on farmers’ requests, NAEB revealed a plan to organize study trips whether in Rwanda and abroad to emulate best experiences from others.
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