Agronomists call for more training

Agronomists have requested the government to offer them more educational opportunities in their domain. The call was made yesterday during a meeting that brought together agronomists from all the country’s 30 districts and officials from the Ministry of Agriculture. “We would like the government to support us to enroll for Masters Degrees so that we improve our knowledge and skills,” said Denys Hagenimana, the president of National Forum for Agronomists. They also shared their experiences with the officials from the ministry following their countrywide study tour organised by the Rwandan Association of Local Government Authorities (RALGA). They visited the districts of Nyamagabe, Gicumbi and Nyagatare to share best practices on how to improve the agricultural sector. “During our tour, it was established that more efforts were still needed to improve farming practices in all the regions visited,” noted Hagenimana. The agronomists also called for more government interventions in promoting mechanisation in agriculture among rural farmers. The Director General of Planning at the Ministry of Agriculture, Raphael Rurangwa, assured the agronomists of the government’s support towards achieving their objectives. “We value your work to help farmers use their land more effectively and suggest methods to increase yields. We would like you to put more efforts in modernisation of agriculture and livestock to concretise the food security we currently enjoy,” he asserted. frank.kanyesigye@newtimes.co.rw Ends