BUJUMBURA, November 12th (ABP) – Farmers in the Mugongomanga commune in Bujumbura province (western Burundi) are facing a shortage of quality potato seed, a check by ABP found at the Rwibaga market on Thursday, November 7, 2024.
Potatoes have been grown in that agricultural region of Mugamba since time immemorial, making a major contribution to the diet and generating income for local families.
Season A was the season of greatest production, but now seeds are in short supply.
Farmers looking for seeds at the Rwibaga market told a check by ABP that potato seeds are very expensive at seed multipliers, with prices ranging from 4,000 to 5,000 BIF, and are currently unobtainable.
The only recourse is the market, where we find seeds from all sources of poor quality, and here too the prices are exorbitant, i.e. 3500 to 4000 BIF per kg, they added, pointing out that with seeds from all sources, production suffers.
At the same time, a kg of ware potato cost 1700 BIF, which shows that the producer is selling at a loss.
To achieve that, sustained research and substantial resources need to be put in place to produce quality seeds that will promote large-scale production.
Those growers are asking to be provided with quality potato seeds and fertilizers at the right time to increase production, especially as that sector is attracting a lot of young people from that region.