Farmers in organic farming are set to fetch more profits as the products are increasingly on high demand on local and export markets. Organic farming is an agricultural system that uses ecologically based pest controls and biological fertilizers derived largely from animal and plant wastes and nitrogen-fixing cover crops. Modern organic farming was developed as a response to concerns on the environmental harm caused by the excessive use of chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers in conventional agriculture. Damien Manirakiza is an organic farmer from Huye District who ventured into organic farming of avocados on two hectares and coffee on five hectares. “I grow three varieties of organic avocados. I do not use any chemical fertilizers and pesticides. We use organic manure,’ he said. The entrepreneur said that after planting, he harvests ‘Hass Avocado variety’ after two years. “One Hass avocado tree has a potential to provide up to 300 kilogrammes every harvesting season after seven years because production increases over time. 85 per cent of avocado fruit content is oil. It is possible to keep this avocado variety for 15 days without decaying,” he explained. Manirakiza said that avocados are harvested two times per year. “Every three months of the harvesting season, I harvest between one tonne and three tonnes of avocados. I sell one Kilogramme at Rwf500,” he said. That translated into between Rwf500,000 and Rwf1.5 million per season with two harvesting seasons annually. However, he said he is still in process to get certification for the organic crops. “Being certified is very expensive since it requires external consultants,” he said. Emerithe Mutezinka is also an organic beetroot farmer in Musanze District. “I grow beetroots by using only organic manure and produce juice from them that are used in treatment and therapy. I do not satisfy the demand since I grow them on only 50 metres by 60 metres tillable land. I harvest about one tonne of beetroots from which I get about Rwf1 million as one Kilogramme goes for Rwf1,000,” she said adding she harvests every four months. Emerithe Hatangimfura, another organic farmer from Musanze District grows Papaya. “We plant them around our homes. I have currently ten papaya trees. We harvest every month except in the dry months of June and July. I am able to harvest about 100 Kilogrammes every month. One Kilogramme goes for Rwf500. I also make organic pesticides from herbs,” she said. Emmanuel Semugeshi, another farmer, started by planting 50 kilogrammes of garlic on an acre of land from where he harvested about 500 kilogrammes. This brought in about Rwf600,000 compared to Rwf100,000 he invested. This year, he planted 1,200 kilogrammes of garlic seeds on two hectares in an investment worth over Rwf4 million and harvested about five tonnes though the demand was short due to Covid-19 . The farmers are part of 5 ,000 organic farmers grouped in different cooperatives to embrace organic farming across the country. Lise Chantal Dusabe, Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Organic Agriculture Movement (ROAM) promoting organic farming in Rwanda said, however, that getting certification is still costly and therefore limits farmers from exporting organic crops on the international market. “Some are at a good level since they have got organic certification. There are some smallholder farmers who are yet to receive certification as it is very expensive as we do not have certifying bodies in Rwanda. We are helping smallholders farmers group themselves together and improve organic farming,” she said. She said that organic crops have a big market. “For instance certified organic coffee, tea and pineapple farmers have a big market in Europe. We are doing advocacy so that the Agriculture Ministry and the National Agriculture Export Board help such organic farmers to afford certifying costs,” she said.
