BUJUMBURA July 7th (ABP) – The Ministry of the Environment, Agriculture and Livestock has, in achieving the objectives that the responsible and hard-working government has set for itself, developed a reference document that will serve guide for an increase in agricultural production, animal husbandry and environmental protection, said the responsible minister, Dr. Déo Guide Rurema, during a press briefing held on Tuesday, July 6.
To achieve those objectives, he said, priority actions were put forward. Those include, among other things, the continued availability of fertilizers and dolomite at an affordable price and the multiplication of selected seeds, by promoting their access to farmers. It is also a matter of protecting the soil through erosion control, the development of marshes by considering the dry season like other seasons. Raising awareness of irrigation using irrigation canals, through motor pumps, protection of water resources, rivers and lakes, multiplication of fish ponds and alvins, Minister Rurema said. He added that tree planting through the extensive program “Ewe Burundi urambaye”, will continue.
Those priority actions also include the repopulation of the herd, through the chain of community solidarity, and genetic improvement through artificial insemination as well as the protection of plants and animals against disease.
To prepare for this current dry season, the Ministry in charge of Agriculture is redoubling its efforts to sensitize all farmers to consider the dry season like other seasons. this year, to cultivate in a modern way 14,734, 88 ha, according to Dr. Rurema, who reported that the actions carried out are, among other things, the census of all state lands that have two hectares or more. About 7,486.75 tons of fertilizer are already available and 2,372,100 tons of dolomite are also available, he said, adding that seeds of corn, potato, beans and vegetable crops were also available. available.
Speaking of the preparations for the 2021-2022 A season, Minister Rurema indicated that the activities are being carried out and that his ministry has set itself the objective of developing cultivable areas which have an area of 200 ha or more by the 100-day quick-results initiative. To do that, all those lands with an area of 15,998 ha have already been identified and will be cultivated in a modern way, and those who join the program will receive the fertilizers that they will reimburse after the sale of their production. In addition, he said, those who develop these lands in a modern way will receive a certificate of merit.
The Minister in charge of Agriculture took this opportunity to ask farmers to follow all the instructions and advice given by agricultural monitors and to change their behavior by considering the dry season as seasons A and B, to sow the selected seeds, to use organic fertilizers and manure and to irrigate wherever necessary. To seed multipliers, Minister Rurema recommended to register so that they can be identified properly, not to distribute the wrong seed and to respect the prices set by the state. He finally called on all those working in the agricultural, livestock and environmental fields to change their behavior by doing good agricultural practices so that Burundi can achieve the objective set by the government to increase production in order to have the surplus to keep, sell and export