Irish potato seed multipliers in Gicumbi district are among farmers whose climate-resilient projects are set to benefit from the Rwf1.3 billion Community Adaptation Facility (CAF).

Farmers have been complaining about the high cost and shortage of Irish potato seeds and some were importing seeds from other countries.

The fund to help address the shortage of Irish Potato seeds, officials said, was initiated by Rwanda Green Fund (FONERWA) and financed by the World Bank.

Rwanda Green Fund (FONERWA), which started operations in 2013, has so far mobilized $247 million and supported 46 green investments.

In the first phase of the Community Adaptation Facility, about Rwf700 million were disbursed to 16 cooperatives in the agriculture and forestry Sectors and more than Rwf600 million is expected to be disbursed by March this year according to project managers.

The fund is also aimed at promoting crops that are resilient to climate change effects in nine sectors of Gicumbi district.

Climate-resilient Irish Potato seeds are being multiplied by farmers to curb seed imports from other districts such as Musanze, Burera, Nyabihu, and neighboring Uganda.

"The Irish Potato seed multipliers are among the beneficiaries so as to address the shortage of seeds that were usually imported. Previously there were no Irish Potato seed multipliers in Gicumbi district. These multipliers will supply the seeds to other farmers,” said Emile Nsengumuremyi , an expert in soil erosion control and climate resilient agriculture in the project.

He said the farmers are urged to apply for grants to implement climate-resilient projects.

"The potato seeds are currently expensive as one Kilogramme has reached Rwf1,000. Multiplying the seeds in farmers’ own farms will address the shortage and high price in Gicumbi district as it can decrease to Rwf600. The seeds also adapt to the district’s climate,” he said.

The seeds, he said, could provide between 18 and 20 tonnes per hectare, an increase from four tonnes when they were growing a poor variety.

The climate finance scheme which is a sub-program of Green Gicumbi project, he added, also aims to transfer knowledge to other districts through climate-resilient agriculture.

Kotemika, a farmers’ cooperative in Kaniga sector of Gicumbi district, is one of six cooperatives that were financed to multiply Irish Potato seeds.

The cooperative multiplied Irish Potato seeds on 20 hectares and are about to harvest them.

Abiella Niyonsaba, one of the cooperatives’ members, from Rukurura cell in Kaniga cell, said that it is their first time to multiply Irish Potato seeds in the area.

"We will no longer import Irish Potato seeds,” she said.

Josephine Zaninka, another farmer, said that some of the imported Irish Potato seeds were not suitable for the land which could lead the farmers to losses.

"The Potato harvest from such seeds was not attractive to consumers. We could sell one Kilogramme at Rwf200. Now, the new seed variety is helping to sell the harvest at a double price because consumers find it their favorite on the market,” she said.

Jean Ndagijimana, another farmer from Mulindi cell said that some imported seeds could not germinate since they were not suitable for local soil.

"The seed known as Kinigi which we are multiplying is promising. We want to multiply seeds, sell on the local market and export them,” he said.

Quack seed multipliers

Farmers in Northern and Western provinces are still facing a shortage of Irish Potato seeds.

The Northern volcanic region accounts for more than 80 per cent of national potato production and 60 per cent of the production is used directly for home consumption in this region.

This means if crop production is affected, it could cause shortage on the market, food insecurity and price hikes.

Irish potato farmers and professional seed multipliers are still crying foul over some individuals locally known as ‘Abamamyi’ who masquerade as multipliers and distribute fake seeds which leads to low yield.

Moustafa Musabyimana, a farmer from Busasamana sector in Rubavu district told The New Times that the number of seed multipliers who are not professional worsened the shortage of seeds.

"There are still few seed multipliers who can’t satisfy quality seeds demand. Even those few are not professional. They register for operating but they do not work. Government should coordinate to increase the number of seed multipliers and train them. RAB should increase good varieties of potato seeds since some seeds are no longer effective,” he added.

You can order seeds from multipliers and spend three weeks without getting seeds. There is a shortage of seeds, added Patrick Nshimiyimana, another farmer from Kinigi sector in Musanze district.

Nshimiyimana said that even when seed multipliers produce seeds, they sell them at a high price which discourages farmers from using them.

Statistics from Rwanda Agricultural and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) indicate that so far, potato farmers harvest an average of between 10 and 16 tonnes per hectare yet they should be harvesting above 30 tonnes and the problem is largely attributed to the use of ineffective seeds among other factors.

Rwanda needs about 35,000 tons of quality potato seeds to cover 25 percent of total cultivated land in each growing season.

Rwanda produces 916,000 tonnes of Irish potatoes every year, making it the third most popular food crop produced in the country.

Potatoes cover 3.9 per cent of the total cultivated area.