KAYANZA, October 11th (ABP) – Diomède Ndayirukiye, permanent secretary in charge of agriculture and livestock at the Ministry of the Environment, Agriculture and Livestock, launched food week in Kayanza province (north) on Wednesday 9 October 2024.
The ceremonies were marked by visits to agricultural cooperatives in the communes of Muruta and Kayanza, according to local sources.
In Muruta commune, Diomède Ndayirukiye, together with the assistant to the FAO representative in Burundi, Appolinaire Masuguru, and the governor of Kayanza, Rémy Cishahayo, paid a visit to a cooperative called ‘Twiyunge’ located on Kavoga village.
That cooperative has a storage shed for wheat and potato seedlings. They also visited the commercial and development cooperative (COCODE-Ntusigwe), which has taken the lead in watershed management.
In Kayanza commune, they visited the Cooperative for Welfare and Innovation in Burundi (COBIBU) operating on the Kirema hill in Kayanza town. That cooperative, which is committed to producing grafted avocado seedlings, now has 226,000 Hass avocado seedlings (Ruhere in the national language).
In his speech, the permanent secretary in charge of agriculture and livestock at the aforementioned ministry began by saying that that year’s theme was: ‘Uburenganzira bwo kugira ico ufungura ata n’umwe akumiriwe bifasha kugira ubuzima bwiza na kazoza keza’. Ndayirukiye was delighted that that week dedicated to food was being celebrated at a time when farmers were taking 1st place in the implementation of projects aimed at increasing production.
He pointed out that the Burundians are now consuming food that meets the standards it produces itself. ‘That encourages us, because we can see where we’ve come from and where we’re going,’ he said, expressing confidence that nothing would stop them once they got down to work.
‘Dear farmers and breeders, as you well know, many Burundians make their living from farming and breeding, which enables them to develop themselves’, he continued, pointing out that those are the pillars of the national economy.
For that reason, the permanent secretary in charge of agriculture and livestock testified that the Burundian government is doing its utmost to promote those sectors.
“Despite the government’s efforts and initiatives, nothing will be achieved unless the environment is protected”, he added, urging the population to protect arable land from erosion, especially by planting bamboo.
Ndayirukiye also invited the Burundian population to consume locally-produced food and avoid wasting it by selling it at the market, in the interests of good health. At the same time, the population was also encouraged to sow seeds using selected seeds and to alert the appropriate authorities in the event of plant diseases or the appearance of pests.
For his part, the assistant to the FAO representative in Burundi recalled that International Food Day is usually celebrated on October 16 that year, and that year it will be celebrated in Rutana province on that date.
For him, the choice of Kayanza province for the launch of that week was not made by chance, all the more so as the inhabitants of that province stand out in terms of self-development. He emphasized that that organization mobilizes funds to come to the aid of victims of climatic hazards in the countries it covers, without forgetting to finance projects to protect the environment and combat plant pests.
He affirmed that FAO would always stand by the Burundian government, especially in the fields of agriculture, livestock, the environment and fisheries.
It should be noted that all the cooperatives visited received support in the form of agricultural equipment, including organo-mineral fertilizers and hoes.