The Government has committed to help wheat farmers get market for their produce in the next harvest season.

Francois Kanimba, the minister for trade and industry, announced this at a meeting with wheat farmers from different parts of the country in Kigali yesterday.

The meeting was organised in conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture.

The Agriculture ministry is targeting 96,000 tonnes of wheat produce at the end of season B, still lower than 120,000 tonnes of imported wheat.

Kanimba acknowledged that wheat production is still low, but noted that his ministry has designed measures to increase collaboration between wheat farmers and industry owners to facilitate necessary interventions.

"Wheat supply is less than what is required by industries. Farmers are urged to increase production of wheat and work with industries instead of selling their harvest to unauthorised dealers. We are going to help them find market for their produce. We expect ready market as the yields increase,” Kanimba said.

Local wheat costs Rwf286 per kilogramme compared Rwf339 for a kilogramme of imported wheat, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

However, wheat farmers say this price is not what they usually sell at.

"The price of wheat revealed by the ministry is different from what we sell at. Our prices do not go below Rwf350 and keeps rising from time to time,” said Joseph Musabyimana, a wheat farmer from Musanze.

Government to support farmers

Tony Nsanganira, the minister of state for agriculture, said farmers would be helped to increase wheat production in the upcoming season to try and satisfy local market demand despite land shortage.

"We need to increase production to feed local industries despite land shortages…we will also ensure that farmers have market for their produce,” Nsanganira said.

Also on the market is wheat straw, with STRAWTEC Building Solutions ready to buy several tonnes of it to make materials which can be used in construction and furniture making.

Eckardt Dauk, the director of STRAWTEC Building Solutions, said: "We are planning to sign a contract with wheat farmers on the price of wheat straw and discuss how we can collect them from their wheat collection centres.”

At least 11 districts grow wheat on an estimated 53,036 hectares with 81 per cent already cultivated.

They include all Northern Province districts, Nyamagabe and Nyaruguru from Southern Province and Ngororero, Rutsiro and Karongi from Western Province.

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