BUBANZA February 2nd (ABP) – The President of the Republic of Burundi, Major General Evariste Ndayishimiye, calls on Burundians to overcome laziness in order to increase production. This appeal was made on Wednesday February 1, 2023, during fertilization works carried out in his rice fields located on the Gifugwe hill in Mpanda commune (North-West of Burundi), a check on the site by ABP has revealed.
On that occasion, the President of the Republic of Burundi commended the presence of Chinese experts at the Pilot Agricultural Center of Gihanga, who provide supervision for rice farmers, and who have initiated rice farming in mountainous localities and in the Moso region. President Ndayishimiye has indicated that his wish is for his field to be a model and a good reference for the surrounding inhabitants. Thanks to that center, the planned production is between 8 and 10 tons per hectare. He asked Burundians to take advantage of the abundant water that the country has and to overcome laziness so that no land property remains untapped. To investors, he asked them to consider investing in farming. He also urged agricultural technicians to strengthen the supervision of farmers to increase production.
The President of the Republic let it be known that he remains optimistic and reassured the population that the harvest will be good for this growing season, adding that the State has a project for the construction of storage sheds, even in the communes, for the good conservation of the harvest. He also expects the organization of producers into cooperatives in order to protect them against speculators who improvise among themselves and the traders who cause the producers to remain exploited in terms of prices. Note that data from the Provincial Office of Environment, Agriculture and Livestock show that in that province rice was grown on an area of 6276 hectares, while maize is on 5445.5 hectares.