Musanze: SPF Encourages Potato Farmers to Avoid Using Unknown Seed Potatoes
The SPF Fund has urged potato farmers in Musanze District to avoid using seed potatoes of unknown origin as it contributes to low yields.
This advice was given during an event where SPF Fund officials, in collaboration with BK Insurance from Bank of Kigali, launched a program to provide farmers with insured seed potatoes. The initiative, called “Tekana Urishingiwe Muhinzi Mworozi” (“Rest Assured, Insured Farmer”), aims to eliminate the losses that farmers face.
Some potato farmers told Teradignews.rw that using certified seed potatoes increases yields and provides peace of mind for farmers.
Jean de Dieu Niyonzima, one of these farmers who cultivates potatoes on 2.5 hectares, stated that farmers should always buy certified seed potatoes and insure them.
He said, “Not insuring your crops is ignorance. I once faced a disaster with heavy rains, but BK Insurance came to my rescue. Moreover, sometimes one buys poor quality seed potatoes and ends up with no yield. Look at these seeds I bought from the SPF Fund; they look great. All farmers should be vigilant and careful.”
He added, “In the past, we used to seek uncertified seeds from unreliable markets, even going to Uganda to buy what we called ‘Ibirayi by’Ibigiga.’ However, since we have the SPF Fund, it has been our solution. We only request that the seeds be available on time and distributed properly so that potatoes are consistently available.”
Apolinaire Karegeya, the Director of SPF Fund, said they have quality seeds that meet standards and urged farmers to distinguish between good and bad seeds.
He said, “We ask farmers to come to us for certified seeds. They should know the difference between good and poor-quality seeds of unknown origin. Also, every farmer who buys seeds from SPF Fund will have them insured. In cases of extreme weather like intense sun or heavy rain, these challenges will no longer affect farmers who have BK Insurance.”
Dr. Olivier Kamana, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, urged potato farmers to carefully inspect the seeds they intend to buy.
He said, “What we ask farmers to do first is use certified seeds from known and researched sources. It’s clear here that there’s a noticeable difference between the section planted with SPF Fund seeds and the one with market-bought seeds. We encourage farmers to buy certified, well-selected seeds and be vigilant.”
He continued, “This program we launched today aims to ensure that every farmer who buys seeds from SPF Fund will have them insured immediately. They will also receive an insurance contract and be monitored daily by an agronomist.”
SPF Fund, which started in 2016, consists of farmers, seed producers, and cooperatives. It helps those in the potato seed value chain to work together to solve the problem of seed scarcity during planting seasons. The fund has 506 shareholders, including farmers, seed producers, and cooperatives involved in potato seed production and farming.
SPF Fund operates in all potato-growing districts in Rwanda and has storage facilities capable of storing 10,000 tons of seeds annually, grown on about 3,000 hectares by more than 150 contracted seed producers (SPF-Joint Ventures Ltd.).