Makamba : farmers are outraged by the shortage of urea fertilizers

In the province of Makamba, in south Burundi, more than 45% of urea fertilizers are unavailable, according to sources close to the provincial directorate of agriculture. This situation is causing anger among farmers who, for the A farming season, have still not received these essential inputs. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

Farmers are expressing their dismay, some having already started the harvest, particularly of beans, without having been served since the beginning of sowing. “Three months of waiting in line in front of the distribution stocks is a real trauma for us, workers of the land”, laments one of them.

According to these farmers, those who were served received only a tiny portion of their orders, often less than a tenth of the quantity requested.

“The hope of receiving these fertilizers is diminishing every day. We fear that our purchase orders will be cancelled, as was the case during the previous season,” they add.

According to information from the provincial office in charge of agriculture in Makamba, only 55% of urea inputs have been distributed. Despite this shortage, these same sources assure that the general state of the crops remains satisfactory.

In remote districts, the situation is even more critical. Farmers denounce practices of local distributors at the zone level, who demand transport costs to transport the fertilizers to the villages of origin, an additional financial burden for farmers already in difficulty.

In addition, previous distributions had been marred by irregularities. Police officers, responsible for maintaining order, were accused of demanding bribes. In some cases, they even allegedly used violence against those waiting their turn, thus facilitating corruption practices.