Farmers and other agricultural players have welcomed the new inputs (seeds and fertilisers) distribution model which comes under the Government subsidy scheme, saying it will help curtail malpractices in the distribution chain. The new Inputs Distribution Model was approved by Cabinet recently.
Farmers say some fertilisers were previously illegitimately exported to neighbouring countries and nepotism was rife in the distribution of seeds due to the lack of a proper distribution channel.
Isaac Nzabonimpa, president of the Federation of Potato farmer cooperatives in Rwanda (FECOPPORWA), said previously, some agro-dealers would buy tonnes of fertilisers and illicitly export some of them out of the country.
It affected yields per hectare as the farmers sowed insufficient seeds.
Under the new model, only eight private companies have signed contracts with the Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) to import and timely supply, mineral fertilisers in the country, under the Government’s subsidy programme.
The contracts run for agriculture season A and B (July 1, to June 30, 2017).
The crops that are covered under the Government subsidy scheme for fertilisers in this farming year are maize, beans, wheat, soya, rice, Irish potatoes, cassava, banana, vegetables and fruits.
