MURAMVYA February 7th (ABP) – Three ministers such as that of the Environment, Agriculture and Livestock, Sanctus Niragira, that of Sport, Youth, Culture and the EAC, Ezéchiel Nibigira and Minister Imelde Sabushimike responsible for national solidarity, jointly chaired an exchange meeting with the people of Rutegama commune in Muramvya province (center-west). The governor of that province, the communal administrators and the heads of provincial services also took part in that meeting.
Questions related to the Batwa community and other vulnerable people who still live in straw houses, certain agronomists whom the beneficiaries of the services consider dirty and incompetent, the lack of fertilizers in the desired quantities and other questions were posed to agriculture and livestock Minister Sanctus Niragira.
That Minister said that the government has a project to settle the Batwa in villages to live with other Burundians in order to fight against discrimination and to abandon straw houses forever. Regarding the issue of agronomists and veterinary technicians considered incompetent by the people of Muramvya, Minister Niragira indicated that his ministry intends to organize capacity building where it is necessary. As for the community animal health workers who claim to be hired by the Civil Service, that minister revealed that the process is underway and that he will still contact his colleague in charge of the Civil Service.
Regarding the shortage of fertilizers, the Minister said that to solve this challenge, two other factories are under construction in Gitega and Rutana provinces to complete the FOMI factory based in Bujumbura. There are even cooperatives that want the FOMI factory to supply them directly with fertilizers without going through supplier traders because those cooperatives order large quantities, such as the Rugemangango cooperative, for example, which orders several bags of fertilizer. The Minister replied in the negative sense as well as for the average growers who requested that the FOMI factory put its fertilizers in small 5 kg bags to facilitate those who have small fields or kitchen gardens. Thus, he said that this would make expensive those products while the government has subsidized it to help growers increase production. It should be noted that the minister in charge of sport, culture and youth and that responsible for solidarity have, in turn, held the debates in relation to culture, sport, the challenges linked to unwanted pregnancies in school environment, the fight against straw houses as part of the “Zero Nyakatsi” program and access to loan from youth and women’s banks.