Upcountry insight: Ubumwe bails banana farmers out of poverty

It’s a sunny mid-morning in Kibungo town Ngoma district. People are rushing to their respective places of work.The struggle to get into taxies is on because students of University of Agriculture, Technology and Education of Kibungo (UNATEK) are rushing for lectures. Motorcycle taxies locally known as “moto” are also busy taking the advantage of the rush hour to earn extra cash. After my struggle in vain for over 30 minutes to board a public taxi, I decide to take up a motorcycle . In about 40 minutes I get to Rukira, one of the 14 sectors of Ngoma District. The sector is well known for its high banana production not only in the district but the whole country. Most people in this sector are organised under a cooperative society called “Ubumwe Cooperative Society (UCS).” Ubumwe means unity. The cooperative society has acted as a model for other people from other parts of the country who visit the place to learn modern methods of quality banana production. Members of Ubumwe have become trainers of other people from different parts of the country on how they can increase production of quality bananas. Since its inception in 2005 having started off with 28 members, Ubumwe now has 483 members, 132 of them being women. Telesphore Nyakarundi, the UCS president, said the cooperative members collectively made a decision to form such a cooperative society for the purposes of working together to improve the quality of bananas which could fetch high income streams from members. “Our yields were poor and the price per kilogram was also low. We thought that uniting under an umbrella cooperative society could help solve some of these challenges we faced ,” Nyakarundi says. Initially, a kilogram of bananas cost between Rwf.5 and Rwf20 which could not help the farmers meet their production costs and even basic necessities. “The income from bananas then wasn’t enough to fight poverty,” he adds. With new prices which the ‘Ubumwe’ bananas now fetch at between Rwf.50 and Rwf80 per kg the cooperative now earns over Rwf9.5 m daily which is shared amongst its members depending on the number of bunches a member provides. However, Rwf5 is deducted from each kilogram of banana which is meant to pay its employees. The cooperative society employs over 80 people in various fields, which has helped to reduce unemployment in the area. Workers are paid approximately Rwf 25,000 monthly. “These people now are engaged in the value chain. This cuts down on the number of idlers who used to be involved in petty crimes like theft and drug abuse,” says Appolinaire Gakwaya, the cooperative vice president. “Its true that UCS has drawn us from streets and has turned us into responsible citizens ready to take a step forward in development,” says 29-year old Justac Bugingo, one of the casual laborers at UCS. Bugingo who admits that he was formerly a drug addict, says since getting employment with the cooperative, he has bought himself a cow worth Rwf120, 000 and has accumulated savings to the tune of Rwf180, 000. He hopes to build his house as he prepares to settle down in marriage. The cooperative also pays school fees for 52 students in secondary school and one at the university, whose parents pay back the money in form of bananas. It also covers health insurance for its members and other needy people in the sector. It has provided loans to 50 of its members to build modern houses. These members also pay back the loan in form of bananas. Scores of the cooperative members agree in principle that uniting under a single roof as a cooperative society is the best move to poverty eradication in the country. 45-year old Joyce Nyakanyagara, another member, says she has managed to purchase three cows. The cooperative also pays school fees for all her four children which she pays back in form of bananas. A widow and a mother of four, Nyakanyagara adds that she was a poor person who was desperate in the public eye. “I believe there are many widows out there who are caught up in my previous position. I call upon them to join cooperative societies if they are to get through some of the hardships they encounter,” she urges. With the help of the Lutheran World Federation, the cooperative has managed to erect a building which houses its headquarters.It also provides office space for Nyinya cell. In a move to have good roads that helps them transport their produce, the cooperative has constructed bridges worth Rwf2 m linking the production areas to the main roads. To offset the cost of this project each member pledged three bunches of bananas to raise this money. Consequently it did not come as a surprise that in 2007 performance contract, Rukira was ranked the best sector in the country in the field of economic development. For the past three years, Rwanda Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) has bought about 600,000 banana suckers from the cooperative each valued at Rwf250, to be supplied to other farmers in the country. The cooperative society has also trained all the banana farmers in the district. It has also trained its members on developing a savings culture and to foster unity and reconciliation. Ends