Burundi: lack of fertilizers for farming season A

In a meeting with provincial governors on Monday, October 17, 2022 in the political capital Gitega, Prime Minister Gervais Ndirakobuca warned the company Fomi (Organo-mineral fertilizers) which, according to him, has always lied by communicating false data related to its production. Mr. Ndirakobuca recommended the company to increase at least up to 70% the production of inputs. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

In his second meeting with the chiefs of provinces, the new head of government asked them not to lie or exaggerate.

“Tell the truth, do not exaggerate in any way. If we want to find solutions, we must give real situations. Today Mr. Manyange (deputy general manager of FOMI) will once again tell us that they have produces 17 tons while they don’t even have 10 tons. We will take care of him”, said Mr. Ndirakobuca in a kind of preamble in a humorous tone.

On his turn, the governor of Bujumbura province (Western Burundi), Désiré Nsengiyumva, indicated that his province is asking the company FOMI for 342 bags of the type of Imbura organo-mineral fertilizers, 1343 Totahaza-type bags as well as 93 Bagara-type bags.

In the province of Gitega (Center), they need 2563 tons of organo-mineral fertilizer type Imbura, 931 tons of Totahaza type and 19 tons of Bagara type, according to Governor Venant Manirambona. In Rutana (SouthEast), according to Governor Olivier Nibitanga, they need 748 tons of Imbura type, 245 tons of Totahaza type and 35 tons of Bagara type.

In the province of Bururi (South), according to Colonel Léonidas Bandenzamaso, provincial governor, they record needs estimated at 385 tons of the Imbura type, 95 tons of the Totahaza type and 94 tons of the Bagara type.

According to participants in this meeting, even in other localities in Burundi, the situation is similar. They fear a drop in agricultural production. Speculative traders were considered thievesThe minister in charge of the environment, agriculture and livestock, Sanctus Niragira, was straightforward. He says he does not understand how traders posing as farmers recover large quantities of chemical fertilizers manufactured by the FOMI company in order to sell them fraudulently at exorbitant prices.

“Speculators are thieves”, he insisted.

The government of Burundi is injecting assets into the FOMI company in the form of grants of up to 26,000,000,000 Burundi francs.The company’s deputy general manager Helmenegilde Manyange says that “we have increased the staff of the company to increase production”.

However, he recognizes weaknesses related to equipment and raw materials.Prime Minister Gervais Ndirakobuca lamented that the company has always lied.

“A company that has always communicated false data related to its production”, he insisted. He recommended to the company to increase to at least 70% the production of chemical fertilizers for the provinces of Gitega-Mwaro (Center), Kirundo (North), Cankuzo (East) and Bururi which record the lowest rates for this farming season A, which Mr. Manyange has promised to achieve by the end of this week.

In some provinces, farmers have not yet received chemical fertilizers even though they have already paid related fees for several months. They demand to be regularized.