After three days of intense discussions, group work, and skill-building interactions, Cassava Week 2024 concluded with the Ingabo Syndicates announcing a series of transformative strategies aimed at boosting cassava production across Rwanda.
During the forum, farmers raised pressing concerns, including limited access to financing, poor cooperative management, low-quality cassava seeds, unreliable markets, and persistent crop diseases. In response, representatives from the Ingabo Syndicate outlined targeted actions to taken during this week to tackle these issues by improving access to financing, enhancing value chains, and fostering resilience to climate-related risks.
In an exclusive interview with ICK News, Habimana Jean Pierre, Vice President of the Ingabo Syndicate, elaborated on the new strategies designed to transform the cassava sector. “Our focus will be on improving seed quality, expanding financial access, and promoting climate-smart farming practices to boost production and open new market opportunities,” Habimana stated.
He emphasized the importance of providing disease-free, high-yielding seeds, noting that better seeds would significantly enhance farmers’ productivity and enable them to compete both locally and internationally. “We have identified seed quality as a major area for development. Our goal is to ensure that cassava farmers receive healthy, high-yielding seeds that will boost productivity and elevate them to a level where they can compete in local and international markets,” he explained.
To address financial constraints, Habimana announced that the Ingabo Syndicate has signed a partnership with DUTERIMBERE-IMF PLC, a financial institution known for its support of farmers and entrepreneurs. This one-billion Rwandan Francs agreement is expected to improve access to loans for cassava farmers throughout the country.
“We are pleased to partner with DUTERIMBERE-IMF PLC due to their expertise and long history of working with rural communities. Their experience with institutions like SPF INEZA and CLECAM gives us confidence that farmers connected with the Ingabo Syndicate will now have easier access to much-needed financing,” Habimana stated.
“Our commitment to facilitating support for cassava farmers will not waver, as we have done in previous years. Our aim is to help them improve their livelihoods with stable incomes, better access to resources, and the ability to afford essentials like health insurance,” he added.
Farmers who participated in Cassava Week expressed optimism and determination to apply the knowledge gained during the event. One farmer remarked, “The insights we gained over these three days will help us adopt better farming practices. We are eager to improve cassava production and share these new techniques with others in our communities,” They told ICK News.
The Ingabo Syndicate began its operations in Rwanda in 2005 and is currently working with approximately 16,000 cassava farmers, 55% of whom are women. Its activities span 10 of Rwanda’s 30 districts.
