A 93-kilometer road is under construction in Nyabihu District to assist Gishwati farmers transport their produce to the market, The New Times has learned. According to Nyabihu district authorities, the construction is 80 percent complete. ALSO READ: How radical terraces boost food security in Western Province This development follows complaints from farmers about the significant losses they face when transporting milk and agricultural produce to the market, according to Kavarisi Habimana, a farmer. Habimana, a resident of Busasamana Village, Arusha Cell in Bigogwe Sector, expressed his gratitude for the completed 30-kilometer section. A dairy farmer for 40 years, he explained, We used to face losses due to the road’s poor conditions; cars transporting milk to collection centers couldn't pass because the road was impassable,” he told The New Times, smiling. Now that the government has upgraded it, the road is passable, and milk is collected and transported to the market on time. Jean Claude Habanabakize, the Vice Mayor of Nyabihu district in charge of Economic Development, said that the road will reduce losses and high transportation costs for those involved in agriculture and dairy farming. It will help farmers get their produce to the market easily, reduce high transportation costs, and make movement easier once it is completed, he said. Lambert Dushimimana, the Governor of the Western Province acknowledged the challenges posed by inadequate roads in Gishwati farms, which are shared by Nyabihu, Ngororero, and Rutsiro districts. He stated that the issue will be addressed in the next fiscal year's budget. We understand the problem of unsuitable roads in Gishwati farms, which impedes the transportation of milk to the market. This challenge affects the districts and milk processing plants. We hope to upgrade the roads in the next fiscal year, although it demands significant government resources. We are facing losses, but we aim to upgrade them in the near future, he noted. ALSO: Governor tasks grassroots leaders to stamp stunting out of Western Province Gishwati farms, shared by the three districts, continue to suffer from poor road conditions. In Ngororero District, only 9 km out of 55 km have been upgraded, while in Rutsiro District, 29 km remain in poor condition, pending resource availability, local authorities said.
