Farmers have raised concerns over a new requirement to submit a land title in their names to access farm inputs.

The mobile platform through which farmers place orders to access agricultural inputs- Smart Nkunganire System (SNS) has made it mandatory for one to submit a title deed.

“Under the system, if 20 farmers are leasing 20 hectares from someone, only one individual among these farmers will be allowed to register if the landowner becomes flexible to access inputs,” Alexis Nzeyimana, a farmer and an agro-dealer from Ngoma district told Rwanda Today.

With the preparations underway for season A 2022, the farmers and dealers are expressing their concerns that requirement could delay or impact the inputs delivery.

“It’s a challenge to think that one farmer is going to acquire inputs for those 19 remaining farmers if the landowner accepts to provide you with the title deed because he may think that the land is being used as a collateral for the acquired inputs,” noted Mr Nzeyimana.

According to the farmer, with the high number of youth in agriculture do not have the land, the new requirement likely to hit them hard.

“As an agro-dealer, I haven’t yet acquired the inputs for the next season. In addition to the prices that have increased, the farmers, especially youth who are mostly letting the land they are operating from, the regulations is impeding the process,” Evaritse Tugirinshuti, the head of maize farmers in Rwanda.However, the process has been added upon the prices of the fertilisers that have recently skyrocketed.

The cost of a kilogramme of NPK 17.17.17 fertiliser has jumped to Rwf713 from Rwf620, while the price of DAP has reached Rwf633 from Rwf480, while UREE fertilizer goes for Rwf564 from Rwf462 per kilo.

“The agro-inputs are available, but they are out of reach of many. Few farmers are adjusting to the new high prices,” Emmanuel Nsengimana, a farmer in Kinigi told Rwanda Today on the phone interview. Unlike other parts of the country, farmers from northwest parts of the country have already started their farming season.

On the other hand, with the season that has not been quite well for the Irish farmers, the manure price that has as well increased has become out of reach for some small-scale farmers.