BUBANZA August 4th (ABP) – The association of rice and fish farming (rice-fish farming), is considered more profitable by the “Farming and Commercial Cooperative of Buramata” (CAPCOBU), in Gihanga commune (north-west of Burundi), a check on the site by ABP has revealed.
As the check by ABP noted on Monday, July 31, 2023, that cooperative set up its experimental field of two acres, for rice-fish farming, in Buramata village. They planted rice and two kinds of fish there, namely Tilapias and Clarias.
According to the leader of that cooperative, Mr. Elie Niyongere, the cost of labor and production decreases because those fish feed on the grasses and insects found in the field. They do the weeding. Those fish leave organic fertilizers there, so that chemical fertilizers are no longer necessary. He indicates that, on that small plot of experimental land, rice production has doubled. And as noted, the cooperative caught 246 kg of fish including 107 kg of tilapia and 139 kg of claria, which were sold at 2,738,000 BIF. Mr. Niyongere says that with this rice-fish farming, the cooperative has gained a lot. He says the cooperative plans to expand that rice-fish farming to other properties at its disposal. He also promises that the members of that cooperative will learn that practice for expansion, even in their private fields, but fears that financial means may hinder the project for some of them. Mr. Niyongere asks the technical services of the State and the various development partners to provide financial support and capacity building in rice-fish farming. It is worth noting that this cooperative has 31 members, including 11 women, and practices that activity on approximately 15 hectares.