Kayonza: Rice Farmers smile as KOICA Project helped them to increase production

Elias Hakizimana Nov 25, 2021 0 Comments

By Elias HAKIZIMANA.

At least 1,300 farmers who grow rice in Rwinkwavu lower marshland developed by KOICA have now reason to smile after getting support from the Korean project ‘Rural Community Support project (RCSP)’ implemented by Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

These farmers gave testimonies on Tuesday, November 23, 2021 at Rwinkwavu lower marshland site in Kayonza District during an annual high level monitoring event organized by KOICA Rwanda Office together with its implementing partners namely MINAGRI /RAB/SPIU, WFP and Kayonza District representatives with the aim to assess the achievements on implementation of KOICA Funded Project.

The event brought together beneficiaries from two cooperatives namely INDATWA-Kayonza of Rwinkwavu site and TWIYUBAKE-Kivuruga of Gakenke site in Gakenke District, Nothern Province.

**Participants to the event were explained about rice seeds demonstration and how quality seeds are chosen.**

The project helped farmers to increase production of 6.4 tonnes of rice per hectare, the quantity that surpassed the country’s average of 4.8 tonnes per hectare.

The achievements are celebrated after grappling with low farm produce due to low skills capacity, droughts, floods and lack of resistant seeds to pests and crop diseases.

Augustin Twagirimana, one of the farmers grouped in INDATWA-Kayonza rice farmers’ cooperative worked in the marshland for around 8 years now. He said that they used to grow rice on the land that is not developed, resulting in poor yield.

“Unmeasured much water could damage our rice plantation and sometimes bushes around stimulated birds to feed on our rice, when the government started to develop the marshland, every member of the cooperative cultivate and harvest on 20Acres in general. We are no longer experiencing floods because we got well prepared water canals, now we get good yield and our development is justified.” Twagirimana said.

He added that he never had a dream and could not harvest even one tonne of rice on 60Acres he used to cultivate before the project’s interventions due to pests and diseases as well as use of bad quality inputs.

“I can now harvest between 1 tonne and 1.3 tonnes of rice per 20 Acres equivalent to 5 to 6.5tonnes per one hectare. This contributed to my family’s food security and we eat rice prepared through modern milling machines in the factories comparing to traditional ‘isekuru wooden’ material.” He said.

The 47-year old managed to build a residential house and is paying school fees for two children in secondary schools.

“It is something to appreciate, from the poorest harvest to over one tonne of rice, it defines a significant change in our farming history.” Said Veronica Nyiramana, another farmer from Rwinkwavu lower marshland.

**Farmers are now harvesting enough and quality rice yield due to the support and best practices of the project.**

Laurent Batibuka, the president of INDATWA-Kayonza rice farmers’ cooperative also commended efforts by KOICA, saying that they managed to get best use of 862 hectares of rice including 462ha developed throughout KOICA Fund in addition to existing areas of 400ha developed before KOICA Project by World Bank Funded Project.

“We were lucky to have a partner, KOICA and we managed to increase yield from 2.5 to 6.4 tonnes per hectare. We were trained through Farmer Field Schools (FFS) and we managed to intensify quality seeds to share to other farmers’ cooperatives.” he said.

Jongyun Choi-Deputy, Head of Mission/Counsellor in the South Korean Embassy in Rwanda appreciated the efforts of farmers in striving for good yield and pledged for a continuous support from Korean Embassy to Rwandan people in fast tracking rural development especially Agriculture.

**(Left-Right) Jongyun Choi-Deputy, Head of Mission/Counsellor in the South Korean Embassy in Rwanda and other delegates from South Korea during the farm visit in Rwinkwavu lower marshland.**

Chantal INGABIRE, Director General in charge of planning in the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI) urged farmers to continue increasing rice produce and to preserve the achievements by the project.

“The project hired agronomists who taught them of best agricultural practices, we request farmers to keep it up even after the project is closed. Most importantly, we advise the citizens to have ownership of these achievements so that the next generation can benefit from them.” She said.

**Chantal INGABIRE, Director General in charge of planning in the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI) speaking to the press during the event.**

The overall project worth Rwf12billion of which KOICA contributed Rwf11 billion while the Government of Rwanda’s contribution is Rwf1.5 billion. The 5-year project started in December 2014 and will soon be concluded in December 2021.

Best farmers got awards

Along with the event, farmers who performed outstanding agricultural activities in Season-B 2021 were awarded.

The awards targeted seven outstanding different categories of beneficiaries namely best cooperatives, best self-help group in productivity increment; best self-help group in strengthening of capacity, best farmers in compost making, best farmers in productivity increment, best farmers woman and best farmer others.