Covid19: Vegetable Farmers call for Crop insurance as damages increase
Some vegetable and fruit growers claim that they have been affected by COVID-19 with a huge loss of 80% due to COVID-19, and are calling on the government and the relevant agricultural authorities to help them get insurance for their crops.
Mukakarinda Lenata, a farmer in Nyanza district in Rwabicuma sector and member of KOJYAMUNYA Cooperative which cultivate chilli pepper explains: “We had planted 16 hectares expecting to harvest 144 tons whose value was Rwf 100, 800,000. The production damaged and we sold only 34 tons valued at Rwf 24 million with the loss of Rwf 76 million we encountered as a cooperative group.
Like many other farmers who spoke to Pax Press reporter, these farmers are reassured by the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources that there is an increase in insurance for fruit and vegetable crops and more cooperation with fruit growers is on the agenda of the Ministry
In the 2020/2021 budget, agriculture has received Rwf 122.4 billion to help in the development of agriculture and animal husbandry, to support program for selected crops, to increase the size of agriculture space and to improve the quality of agricultural products for export as well as to reduce the losses incurred during the harvest by building new warehouses and advanced Post harvest treatment facilities.
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