BUBANZA August 18th (ABP) – Farmers in the Mpanda commune (North-West of Burundi) have responded massively to the call to cultivate during the dry season, more than before. This is because the area that was sown did not exceed 70 hectares, but currently reaches more than 250 hectares, according to Mpanda communal agronomist Philippe Nimpaye, who remains optimistic that even the harvest will be good.
According to him, in this cropping season C, the farmers of Mpanda commune mainly grow maize, sweet potatoes and market gardening. For maize, more than 3,000 kilograms of selected and subsidized seeds were purchased, to be sown on an area of 120 hectares of land holdings that were put together, on 10 hills. And the expected production is 2.5 tons per hectare. For maize, too, farmers are committed to the fight against army worms.
Concerning sweet potatoes, they have been planted on more than 100 hectares, and the expected production ranges between 5 and 6 tons per hectare. Even for this crop, they are struggling against borer caterpillars. As for vegetable crops, they were grown in households, on plots of 10 by 20 meters. Nevertheless, that commune of Mpanda has a lack of irrigation water, specifies the same information source.
The communal agronomist of Mpanda, Nimpaye, calls for the respect for the injunctions given by the agricultural technicians. It is worthy to note that 17 agricultural technicians, including the communal agronomist, are at work monitoring and supervising farmers.