Farmers smile as maize produce increased after government, partners’ efforts to handle post-harvest losses

By Elias Hakizimana.

Some years back, maize farmers in Nyagatare District could experience a huge loss of produce associated to lack of best agricultural practices and efficient equipment to dry and store the yield.

CODPCUM, a local cooperative that grows maize in Mukama Sector, Nyagatare District is one that can give testimonies of how Aflatoxin used to damage their maize produce since the beginning and now getting an improvement and benefits after having put in place best agricultural practices and using efficient drying and storing equipment.

Cyprien Semakura, President of the cooperative says that they have benefited a lot from a drying shelter built under the government support helped them to reduce post-harvest losses.

“Many times farmers could fear to harvest their maize because they did not have drying facilities such as special shelters, so, this could delay them to proceed for the next seasons as the maize could last longer in the farms and of course a big part of them could be wasted.” Semakura says.

He said that the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI) and a local partner built them many drying shelters that contributed to the reduction of Aflatoxin in the yield.

Experts define Aflatoxin as “any of a class of toxic compounds produced by certain moulds found in food, which can cause liver damage and cancer.”

Semakura says that their cooperative wasted 17 percent of total production in 2020 due to Aflatoxin.

Phocas Kuradusenge, president of KOHIIKA maize farmers’ cooperative in Karama Sector, Nyagatare District says that they occupy 200 hectares of land and used to have 30 percent of the yield wasted.

“This was before we got training offered by Clinton Foundation on how to combat Aflatoxin in our maize produce. We could only take 200 tons of the yield to the market, which increased to 1,500 tons after applying the best agricultural practices we learnt.” He says.

MINAGRI with various partners including Clinton Foundation that runs its activities in six districts of Eastern Province in 54 farmers’ cooperatives did not stop to help farmers to boost their farming activities in order to get an improvement in both quality and quality yield.

Emmanuel Buregeya, a farmer from Karama sector in Nyagatare District says that he managed to increase his maize produce from 2 to 7 tons on his land of 1 hectare, thanks to the training by Clinton Foundation.

“I could only take 1 ton to the market due to Aflatoxin, now I sell all the produce without any quantity wasted.” He says.

He says that a partner helped him from the first stage of seed selection, planting up to the market of the produce.

Wealth improved

Laurence Namubonye, 55, a mother of four sons from Mukama sector managed to pay school fees for two children who, among them one finished University, another is still at varsity school in Nyagatare. She said that all financial capacity came from her farming activities.

“Last season I harvested 8 tons of maize. I grow maize on one hectare and I expect to double it. Before, due to Aflatoxin, I could get between 4 to 5 tons.” she says.

Bernadette Nzabonakura, another farmer says that she no longer depend on subsistence agriculture but, a commercial farming that intends to raise the family’s financial development. She commends the efforts by MINAGRI and partners that increased capacity of farmers to boost the produce.

“I could harvest 300 kilogrammes per half-hectare and now the yield increased to 1 ton.” she says.

These farmers managed in general to increase the yield from 3 to 7 tons per hectare.

Last year, Nyagatare district was given a budget of Rwf1.2 billion to handle post-harvest losses where they build 176 drying shelters and 68 drying grounds.

Kagwa Evarde, an official of Rwanda Agricultural and Animal Resources Board (RAB) in Gatsibo and Nyagatare Districts says that many farmers were given training to help them tackle post-harvest losses.

“Apart from building the drying and storing facilities, farmers were also given drying machines and more infrastructures were constructed through the Climate Resilient Post-Harvest Agribusiness Support Project (PASP) that supported them previously.”

Since 2019 to date, 1,453 drying shelters and 567 drying grounds have been constructed countrywide. Farmers were also trained to apply best agricultural practices and the government with partners availed different updated infrastructures such as machines to help farmers in their daily activities.

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