BUJUMBURA March 22nd (ABP) – Preparations for the second campaign for the collection and purchase of surplus agricultural production are going well, announced the Minister of Environment, Agriculture and Livestock, Mr. Déo Guide Rurema, during a press conference hosted on Monday, March 21, 2022, in Bujumbura.
Minister Rurema first recalled that the “responsible” and “hardworking” government spares no effort for an increase in production and its good management so that every mouth always has something to eat and every pocket money.
To that end, the government has started the production collection and purchase campaign, starting with maize where the price to producers has been set at 680 BIF per kilo taking into account the efforts made and the means used, he added.
Mr. Rurema pointed out that, for the execution of that work, the government had planned an amount of 34 billion Burundi francs and that the balance was 13 billion BIF because the preparations took a long time. Consequently, he said, only 14,000 tons out of the 28,000 tons planned, were collected and purchased by ANAGESA, which is a State institution responsible for that activity under the supervision of the ministry in charge of agriculture, as well as private individuals who had bought part of the production while respecting the price set by the government.
“The total quantity collected and purchased was sold at 11,872,278,740 BIF and all this money was paid into the State account No 1110/336 opened at the bank of the Republic of Burundi”, Minister Rurema said. He specified that this work brought benefits because, he explained, during the sale, that activity generated revenue for the account of the State and the communes, including 1,898,000,000 BIF for the State and 130,000,000 BIF for the communes.
Given that people are beginning to engage in agriculture while pooling land and that the year 2022 is dedicated to agriculture, Minister Rurema stressed that for this second campaign, the State must make available 87,500,000,000 BIF which will be used for the collection and purchase of beans and rice in addition to maize, including the collection and purchase of 30,000 tons of maize for an amount of 24,000,000,000 BIF, 35,000 tons of beans at 31,500,000,000 BIF and 20,000 tons of rice for an amount of 32,000,000,000 BIF.
He went on to say that the purchase price of dry grain maize offered to producers is now 800 BIF per kilo, while the purchase price offered in ANAGESA stocks is 1100 BIF per kilo and that the selling price will be 1200 BIF per kilo. For potatoes, the purchase price to producers is 700 BIF per kilo and the selling price will be 900 BIF.
The purchase price to producers for short grain paddy rice is 1200 BIF, the purchase price offered in ANAGESA stocks is 1500 BIF and the selling price will be 2200 BIF. For long grain paddy rice, the price will be 1300, 1700 and 2400 BIF respectively.
For the yellow beans, the price is 1400, 1800 and 1900 BIF respectively, while for the homogeneous beans the price is 1300, 1700 and 1800 BIF respectively. For mixed beans, the purchase price offered to producers is 900 BIF, the purchase price offered in ANAGESA stocks is 1300 BIF and 1400 BIF for the selling price.
The Minister of the Environment, Agriculture and Livestock took the opportunity to invite ANAGESA and its collaborators to start collecting and purchasing production throughout the country according to the prices set. He asked the administration, the law enforcement officials and the supervisory services to continue to work in synergy to monitor and enforce those prices set throughout the country for the interest of the population and the country.
He then asked farmers not to deliver their productions to speculative traders because collection and purchase centers have been set up in all communes for their interest so that they can be well remunerated and above all paid on the same day. To that end, he warned anyone who would try to buy production from farmers at a price lower than that fixed by the State because, he stressed, they will be punished in accordance with the law.
Minister Rurema finally appealed to farmers to maintain their fields in order to maximize production for this second growing season because, he explained, it is the high season even if climatic disturbances are observed, and to favor crops resistant to both drought and heavy rain.