Fresh produce farmers are counting losses as the chunk of their produce do to waste.
Fresh produce farmers are counting losses as the chunk of their produce do to waste due to the limited markets occasioned by limiting movement of people dictated by Covid19 containment measures.
According to Rwanda Today survey, the most affected are onions, cabbages, broccolis and the garlic farmers from across the country.
Emmanuel Nsengimana, a garlic farmer in Kinigi sector of Musanze district told Rwanda Today that the loss has been incurred due to low demand following restrictions on movement of people and commodities.
“A farm gate price currently stands at Rwf300 per kilogramme from the usual prices that have been ranging between Rwf1,400 per kilogramme for the fresh garlic and Rwf2,500 per kilogramme for dried ones,” Mr Nsengimana told Rwanda Today.
Mr Nsengimana noted that despite practicing agronomic farming on a half of hectare, a farmer normally gets three metric tonnes during the harvesting season, from which a farmer gets at least four million; However, the farmers do not expect to get return on investment.
“Some produce are perishing in the farms because people who used to ferry them to the big markets are not coming. The heavy trucks used to take our produce to Kigali or other places, but when we call the middlemen who used to link us with the buyers they told us, they can’t take in any production as the buyers are no longer coming,” he noted.
Not only the garlic farmers continue decrying losses but the issue is shared among the vegetable farmers including also the onions and broccoli farmers that are currently being hit hard.
Francois Hitimana, the head of farmers in the Western province under the framers’ umbrella body –Imbaraga told Rwanda Today that the farmers are stuck with their produce.
“While the onions farmers have been paid Rwf70,000 as a price gate on 100 Kilograms, they are now getting only Rwf4,000,” Hitimana told Rwanda Today.
“A friend who acquired a Rwf3 million loan to do the onions farming on half of the hectare, he was expecting to harvest at least Rwf6 million, but he has been paid Rwf40,000,” he added.
According to Hitimana, the situation has because movement at the border etween Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo has slowed down.
As a result, some produce including vegetables no longer have a market.