The Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), Dr. Geraldine Mukeshimana has said that the downpours that are causing disasters will highly affect agricultural productivity across the country.
Mukeshimana was speaking yesterday in a meeting that brought together Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), an organization dealing with agricultural products in Africa and MINAGRI top officials at Kigali Convention Centre to announce Rwanda as this year’s host of the annual African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF 2018) slated for September.
She said that disasters from heavy rains and climate change are taking place in different parts of the World like Kenya and India among other countries.
She added that they will affect agricultural productivity because they are damaging farm crops.
“It is true the production will reduce because crops are being damaged. Currently, we are thinking of ways to tackle their effects. We are seeking ways the government will provide food assistance to people who will not get enough harvests thereafter see what would be done to increase food production,” she explained.
Last week, MINAGRI revealed that heavy rains and floods have damaged crops on 4000 hectares worth Rwf4 billion in the first four months of the year.
Speaking at the conference, Zimbabwean Entrepreneur, Strive Masiyiwa said that natural disasters will continue, and urged to put in place ways to alleviate them.
He said that many efforts should be invested in disaster mitigation as they are invested in combating their effects
