Posted on May, 3, 2016 at 08:50 am
By Stevenson Mugisha
Since its commissioning in 2012, Kinazi Cassava Processing Plant in Ruhango District has been operating at a low percentage compared to its capacity. This is largely attributed to the shortage of cassava roots. The factory was conceived by the government of Rwanda as a way of expanding and improving cassava production in the country. Emile Nsanzabaganwa is the acting general manager of the plant. He admitted that the plant operates at a low percent which he didn't want to be revealed.
"Things are not going on well as we would wish them to be. We don't get enough raw materials from cassava farmers since plantations were affected by Kabore disease. However, the Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) provided them with new cassava seeds which are resistant to this disease, so we hope the situation will normalize soon and start operating at a higher percentage," Nsanzabaganwa said. After getting the new seeds, the farmers will extend similar seeds to their colleagues who haven't gotten them.
The $10 million highly automated cassava milling factory has the capacity to receive and process 120 metric tons of raw cassava on a 20-hour daily operation.It is possible that if raw materials are available, it can operate at its full capacity. "We are working with RAB and other stakeholders to increase the yield of cassava from 12 tons to 30 tons on one hectare of land through Farmer Field School Program (FFS), also known as cassava villages," he said. 2319 villages have so far been identified in which cassava can be cultivated countrywide. This will enable the factory to get increased raw materials from the farmers. Farmers, too, will get enough food for home consumption.
"There are 15 hectares in each village and each hectare produces 30 tons of cassava.This shows that the plant will soon have enough raw materials to produce cassava flour. "Cassava plants were affected by Kabore disease all over the country and it takes a long period for cassava to be harvested. This means that once it has any problem, it's not something which can recover overtime" Nsanzabaganwa noted. Before President Paul Kagame inaugurated the plant in 2012, farmers in the county were lacking access to finance. However, they now use their cassava fields as collateral to secure loans from banks and other micro finance institutions. Cassava is now considered as a cash crop instead of food crop like it used to be in the past.
"This shows that the plant plays an enormous role in changing the lives of farmers socially and economically, and contributing towards the socio-economic growth of the country,"Nsanzabaganwa said. He further says that though the plant is not operating as it should be, the government is helping farmers to increase cassava productivity and "we are ready to receive any harvest from them. We have enough market for their produce in the USA, Europe and different corners of Africa," he said. Jean Marie Vianney Ndaruhutse is a cassava farmer in Gacurabwenge sector, Kamonyi district. He told The Rwanda Focus that ever since their cassava fields were infected with Kabore disease, they are finding it hard to get enough harvest to sell to Kinazi plant and for home consumption.
"I call upon the government and all stakeholders to come up with an immediate solution to this matter. Majority of us had secured loans from banks to cultivate cassava on a large scale since we had gotten where to sell it. But due to Kabore disease, we are getting low harvests which severely affect our welfare socially and economically," Ndaruhutse said.
Charles Kanobana, a farmer in Muganza sector, Gisagara district said that there is need for RAB officials to sensitize farmers on how to fight Kabore and other diseases which infect cassava plantations. "Some of us don't have the knowledge on how to deal with such challenges," he said. Cassava is currently grown in eight districts which were identified by the government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources.