GITEGA July 30th (ABP) – The governor of Gitega province (central Burundi), Mr. Venant Manirambona on Monday began a descent that will lead him to all the administrative zones of the eleven communes of that province in collaboration with officials of the Provincial Bureau of Environment, Agriculture and Livestock, to sensitize farmers on the intensification of marsh crops and irrigation works in the fields in this dry season.
During those descents which began in the Bitare zone of Bugendana commune, he called on all farmers to get down to work to increase agricultural production by intensifying the cultivation of marshes and other places where they can find water for irrigation.
He called on all farmers, including those who do not have land in the marshes, to exploit the exploitable spaces, in particular by cultivating vegetable gardens while ensuring their irrigation.
He decried the bad habit of some people who stop farming during the dry season to wait for the rainy season. That leads to periods of food shortages observed during the months of January to early March.
The result of intensifying crops is to increase production to have sufficient food and a surplus to sell to the market.
The governor of Gitega also called on farmers to intensify activities to prepare for agricultural season A, in particular by drawing contour lines in their land holdings and increasing the production of organic manures in composts.
He then reminded the farmers who have not yet paid the advances for organo-mineral fertilizers to pay them promptly, as that payment is scheduled to close on August 2, 2020.
He also insisted on thinning bananas, which have a lot of stems and therefore limit production and reduce areas. He invited everyone to innovate banana plantations in accordance with new cultivation methods. He said that the Minister of Agriculture has promised the regular descent of technicians on the ground to popularize new farming techniques to farmers.
Mr. Manirambona then asked the farmers to make their contributions to the implementation of government measures related to the fight against the phenomena of economic corruption and embezzlement.
He invited the people to denounce all the perpetrators of those abuses regardless of their administrative responsibilities or their social ranks.
The people have been called upon to always ensure the implementation of measures to prevent and combat the coronavirus pandemic. She was also urged to make good use of long-acting insecticide-treated mosquito nets to guard against malaria.
The farmers who were visited recommended in particular the increase in the number of technicians who can provide efficient supervision on new farming methods, the increase in incentive premiums for members of village councils, the application of sanctions against corruption and economic embezzlement to all the perpetrators without distinction.
Those raids carried out on Monday in the zones of the communes of Bugendana and Mutaho were continued on Tuesday in the zones of the commune of Ryansoro.