EASTERN PROVINCE BUGESERA — The Rwandan returnees from Tanzania currently resettled in Nemba, Rweru sector are afraid of a looming famine.According to the residents, this season, the crops returned poor yields due to long dry spell.The farmers explained that the dry season started early in June, with insufficient rainfall which has persisted until today. They also complained that the soil was not fertile to enable the rapid crop growth.In a min survey by The New Times, it was found out that most of the residents’ gardens of maize, beans and sweet potatoes had withered due to the scorching sun.Vincent Rukongi, one of the residents said: “We expected a fertile area because the land was virgin but, the reverse is true. The soil here is infertile and does not favour some of our crops like beans.”The Mayor, Gaspard Musonera, said the district was aware of the farmers’ poor harvest this season but they [district] would contain the situation.“We know that this season was not productive to the returnees and the District is working hard to deal with the issue,” he said by phone.The mayor had also earlier said that the government has provided Cassava stems to the farmers to address the situation.Currently, the residents depend on food for work- a World Food Program initiative where individuals are given work and paid food rations as wages.However, recently the returnees who were employed to build their own shelter and get food in return complained of little food. They reportedly get between one to eight kilograms of maize flour, two kilograms of beans or peas, and one liter of cooking oil, regardless of the amount of work they have done monthly. They also recently claimed that they rejected ‘expired’ maize flour from world vision, the claims Musonera refuted. The mayor advised the residents to cooperate with the development partners instead of blaming them.Meanwhile, the returnees appealed to the Government to install irrigation mechanisms in the area to help address the persistent water shortages for their crops.“The government should put up water channels to help us irrigate our crops during these harsh periods,” Said Mkamurara- a mother of three.Ends
