Bubanza : farmers face a persistent shortage of chemical fertilizers

SOS Médias Burundi

Bubanza, September 3, 2026 — Farmers in Bubanza, in Bujumbura province, in western Burundi, are sounding the alarm in the face of a shortage of chemical fertilizers that has persisted since January 2026. More than two months after the end of the agricultural season, more crops are growing still wait for the fertilizers they had nevertheless fully paid for, in accordance with the instructions of the Ministry in charge of Agriculture.

According to several growers, they have paid the entire amount of fertilizers planned for the agricultural season B. But so far, these inputs have not been distributed to them.

In the rice perimeter of the Imbo Regional Development Company (SRD Imbo), rice farmers lament low production, which they attribute mainly to the lack of fertilizer.

More than 350,000 francs for a bag of urea on the black market

Scarcity is particularly concerning on the parallel market. A 50-kilogram bag of urea costs more than 350,000 Burundian francs, while the official state-subsidized price is set at 66,000 francs.

Such a price difference makes fertilizers inaccessible to many growers, who are already struggling to cover other costs related to agricultural production.

The situation also has implications for land leasing. Some farm owners say they have trouble finding people willing to rent their fields, for fear of not being able to get the income needed to operate them.

In some cases, the rental price of land would have been revised down, sometimes by nearly half.

A census while waiting for the fertilizers

From August 24 to 26, the administration appealed to farmers with proof of payment for fertilizers of agricultural season B to be censused, in anticipation of possible distribution.

This operation intervenes several weeks after the close of agricultural season B, while some growers claim to still wait for the fertilizers for which they had already paid.

Farmers who wish to buy fertilizers through official channels, however, raise another difficulty : they say they do not know where to procure.

They therefore urge the state to liberalize the market for chemical fertilizers in order to facilitate their availability and enable farmers to access fertilizers at affordable prices.

Government promises fertilizers for September

During a recent public broadcast held in Gitega, the political capital of Burundi, during which journalists had been invited to question government officials, the Prime Minister promised that chemical fertilizers would be available to farmers from September.

This announcement raises expectations among Bubanza growers, who hope the promise will quickly translate into improved supply in official circles.

For farmers, the availability of fertilizers remains an essential condition to improve production, preserve yields and guarantee their incomes.

A shortage that goes beyond Bubanza

The case of Bubanza is not isolated. Supply difficulties in chemical fertilizers are also reported in several other regions of Burundi.

In some regions, farmers claim to have spent more than two years without regular supplies of chemical fertilizers. In Bubanza, some backlogs accumulated over several years had however been partially resorbed during the distribution of inputs intended for this year’s agricultural season A.

The current situation is nevertheless raising concerns, especially among growers who claim to have already paid for season B fertilizers without receiving them.

The persistence of these supply difficulties, combined with flaring prices on the parallel market, risks further inflating production costs and affecting agricultural yields.

Farmers are now waiting to see if the government’s promise of fertilizer availability from September will actually end the shortage and prevent the same difficulties from recurring in the coming agricultural seasons.