Huye:Rice farmers appreciate new rice seeds

Cooperatives of rice framers from Huye District said they appreciate a new rice seeds from South Korea, a seed they hopefully say will increase productivity.

The seeds have been chosen by Rwanda Agriculture Board in partnership with local farmers in order to find out what seeds are most likely to be planted into the Mwogo valley and produce more. This new crop is meant to replace the former one  considered to be less productive and  which takes six months to grow.

A German ONG (Welt hunger hilfe) specialized into the valley farming activities helped the Huye farmers during the selection of the seed that befits the Mwogo valley.  Farmers from Huye affirm the seed called Chamrong Dhan from South Korea is the ideal choice among ten other specimens provided.

This is a seed of our dreams as it takes three months to grow and produce more, Hakizimana Cyprien told UM– USEKE.

We hope this new seed will compensate  our efforts we provide during the seeding activities and throughout the management of the valley, he added.

The RAB technician Ndakumana Innocent said the choice of that seed was to find out which rice seed can resist to both cold  conditions and diseases that threaten the productivity of  rice in the  Mwogo valley.

Speaking on behalf of the German organisation, Kubwimana Audace said the organisation is studying on how this seed can be spread to other rice farmers across the country so to increase the productivity  and ensure food security to all Rwandans.

10 years ago, rice farmers in this valley did kept farming but did not produce rice in abundance but this new seed will help. We intend to produce more rice using the same efforts through cultivating this new seed, Kubwimana added.

The Mwogo valley is 400 ha wide and produce 2000 tons of rices every harvest season.

UM– USEKE.RW