MURAMVYA August 21st (ABP) – This activity, which began on Thursday at Nyagisozi village in Kiganda commune and Masango village in Muramvya commune, was linked to the provincial launch of the campaign for the free distribution of dolomite to partner farmers of the NGO Tubura on the one hand and their neighbors on the other hand, to eradicate the soil acidity.
It involved 14 families that pooled their plots with the aim of sowing selected maize. Before moving on to the demonstration on the application of dolomite in a field in preparation for the next growing season, Richard Habimana in charge of innovation projects at One Acre Fund TUBURA explained to farmers how they can apply dolomite correctly two weeks or more before sowing or planting crops.
As for the representative of the IFDS in that activity, Oscar Nduwimana, he indicated that the project to make dolomite available for some of the farmers chosen initially was born from the collaboration between the ministry responsible for agriculture, ISABU and IFDS for the development of the agricultural sector. They got together, according to him, to study the acidity levels of arable land in Burundi. Hence, it was noticed that 73 percent of arable land needs dolomite to eradicate soil acidity and be able to increase agricultural production. Oscar Nduwimana said that the project has started in 38 communes located in 14 provinces where there are more problems to be solved including some communes in Muramvya province namely Kiganda, Muramvya and Bukeye where each of them will have 4 village beneficiaries of the dolomite.
The Director of the Provincial Bureau of Environment, Agriculture and Livestock, Ali Kassim, in turn, called on the partner growers of Tubura or not, to get familiar with the proper use of dolomite to sanitize the quality of their land so that they can prepare chemical fertilizers and organic manure as well as selected seeds with the hope of good harvests.
Note that some of the farmers benefiting from that dolomite and who have had lessons on the proper use, have expressed their joy and affirmed that they will always place orders for chemical fertilizers without forgetting the sufficient quantities of dolomite.