BUJUMBURA March 13th (ABP) – The President of the Republic of Burundi, Evariste Ndayishimiye, visited, on Saturday March 11, 2023, the fields of various crops, in Mutimbuzi commune, at Gatumba, where they witnessed the maize harvest and demonstration of techniques used in conservation agriculture. The latter contributes to good intensive production, a check on the site by ABP has revealed.
Given that a land of 39 m long and 16 m wide can feed a lot of people, the Burundian number one, pointed out that, very soon, he will send all the staff of the Ministry of Agriculture to learn those techniques so that in turn, they popularize them to the villages to increase production and thus fight the famine that is observed in the country.
Regarding fertilizers, President Ndayishimiye has indicated that, from now on, the country will be able to use fertilizers from animal and plant materials, giving the example of rabbit urine which is at the same time a fertilizer and a medicine for plants.
The Head of State thus thanked those researchers who were able to bring those techniques to Burundi. Thus, he called on all Burundians living abroad to return to their native country and use their talents to promote development.
He also advised the people of Mutimbuzi to promote bloc cultivation and use the above techniques to have a large production. He also promised the farmers of that locality, seeds in case they practice those techniques.
As for the agricultural engineer and permanent executive secretary of the Mutimbuzi commune, Mr. Jean Damascène Citeretse, the techniques used in conservation agriculture were learned at the Center for International Agriculture Research of Agriculture. They make it possible to gain intensive production and are based on four pillars including minimum soil disturbance when preparing the fields, mulching, rotation and intensive high-quality management. He added that the use of those natural techniques makes it possible to restore the soil, to fight against the acidity of the soil with the help of lime.