KARUSI, June 21st (ABP) – The President of the Republic, Evariste Ndayishimiye, on Monday, June 17, 2024, called on the governors and heads of the Provincial Offices of Environment, Agriculture and Livestock (BPAEE) to do everything possible to increase agricultural production, adding that the latter constitutes a battle for development.
This call was made during a meeting he held in Karusi province with all the governors and heads of the Provincial Offices of Environment, Agriculture and Livestock.
According to him, the directors of the BPEAE are the operations commanders, the agricultural development centers are the general staff, the farmers are the troops, while the seeds and fertilizers are the ammunition, noted President Ndayishimiye.
Burundi has good arable land, sufficient rainfall and human capital, which are assets to have good agricultural production, he said. “I don’t like green spaces whose greenery is not made up of food or export crops,” announced the Head of State. Consequently, the administration and the heads of the BPEAE are called upon to mobilize selected seeds and fertilizers on time in order to provide a good harvest as well as its good management. Burundians should not regret the lack of foreign exchange when commercial crops are multiple, demonstrated President Ndayishimiye. He notably cited coffee, which is currently seeing a remarkable revival, tea, chili, moringa and others.
He requested that each household have livestock according to its economic size and that the leaders serve as an example, especially since the latter is an indispensable auxiliary of agriculture. The President of the Republic returned to the importance of selected seeds and breed selection in livestock breeding, but drew attention to the preservation of local seeds and animals to avoid their disappearance. He proposed crossbreeding as a sustainable solution.
Regarding food security, President Ndayishimiye said that Burundians have food to eat but do not know how to eat it. The administration must organize a census on the state of malnutrition in order to take strategies according to him.
In her welcoming speech, the Governor of Karusi Province, Ms. Dévote Nizigiyimana, reported that her province has quadrupled its maize harvest, going from three thousand tons last year to more than 12,000 this year, and expects more than 5,000 tons of beans and 4,000 tons of rice in season B.