Following disasters that continue to destroy farmers’ crops and kill domestic animals, the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI) has said that it is going to subsidize insurance cost for more crops and livestock so as to cushion farmers against losses.
Farmers in Gakenke district are among farmers who are victims of floods as their crops are not insured.
At least 32 hectares of rice farms were affected after River Mukungwa broke its barriers and destroyed their farms and considering they did not have crop insurance, they have totally counted losses.
"Our farms were destroyed by floods and we have not yet insured our crops. Those in charge of insurance had not yet approached us to explain to us how crop insurance works. But the next time we are going to follow up so that we embrace it to avoid further losses,” said Claudien Nanzubuhoro, one of the farmers.
The issue of lack of knowledge about agriculture insurance and lack of insurance services close to them was reiterated by farmers in Eastern Province in Nyagatare District.
They grow crops in Rwangingo marshland of more than 900 hectares straddling the Districts of Nyagatare and Gatsibo in Eastern Province that were flooded, ruining rice, maize, beans and soybean plantations while these crops are not even covered with insurance.
"It seems there is limited awareness about crop insurance services because many farmers do not know how it works. We have not seen those in charge of insurance services coming to enlighten us and we do not even know the required cost,” said Eugene Kalisa , the chairperson of Rwangingo Rice Growers Cooperative composed of 98 farmers in Nyagatare District.
He added that there is no technology to manage floods in the marshland and therefore floods have been worse.
"Besides seeking insurance, we also request agriculture ministry to help us with technology to manage floods in the marshland since it is very expensive,” he said.
He also requested the ministry to enhance insurance to other crops since at present only maize and rice are insured for very few farmers across the country.
"We grow maize, rice, beans and soya and we want that all of them be insured,” he said.
These are part of other famers whose over 3,117 hectares of crops have been devastated by disasters mainly floods across the country which also killed 3,227 domestic animals including 60 cows in the first four months of this year.
More crops, animals to be covered
Marion Nirere Mulindwa, the SPIU Coordinator at The Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources said they are going to work with insurance companies to cover more crops beyond maize and rice.
Of domestic animals, only cows are covered.
The insurance scheme is subsidized up to 40 per cent by government.
For crop, she said, comprehensive risk insurance is provided to cover yield losses due to non – preventable risks, such as drought, flood, landslide, pests and diseases, storm, natural fire and lightning.
For livestock, the insurance policy covers accidents such as lightning, internal and external injuries, flooding and landslides, diseases of terminal nature, emergency slaughter on advice of a qualified veterinary practitioner and epidemics.
"In the next fiscal year, other value chains will be added. For example for crop insurance, Irish potatoes, beans, soybeans and bananas, cassava and horticulture crops among others are the new value chains to consider, and for livestock poultry and piggery will be considered. All the farmers in the mentioned value chains will be eligible for the scheme,” she said.
Mulindwa said that only 56,868 farmers have been covered for crop insurance while 2781 farmers have livestock insurance coverage so far.
Only 6, 120 cows are covered while 10,303 hectares have been covered since the launch of agri-insurance scheme.
At least Rwf390 million has been invested in the scheme under 2019/2020 fiscal year.