Fruit farmers in Nyanza District, Rwanda, have voiced their concerns over the challenges brought by frequent and prolonged dry spells that have led to a decrease in yields. They are urging the government to incorporate fruits into the National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) to help manage losses due to these adverse weather conditions.
Prudence Sendarasi, a mango and avocado farmer from the Ntyazo Sector, highlighted the vulnerability of his 15 hectares of fruit trees to dry spells, noting the absence of insurance coverage for his crops. "My fruit trees are not insured, and we get inadequate harvest during dry spells. Fruits that are not added to the insurance scheme," he stated, emphasizing the need for their inclusion to mitigate the impact of prolonged dry seasons.
Chantal Umuhoza, another local fruit farmer, supported the call for expanding the insurance scheme to cover fruits, pointing out that fruit farmers face similar challenges to those growing insured crops and would benefit from coverage during climate-related emergencies.
As of June 2024, the NAIS covered a variety of crops and livestock but did not include fruits. Joseph Museruka, Project Manager of NAIS, explained that the addition of new crops to the insurance scheme involves a feasibility study and collaboration with insurers for risk assessment, noting that there had been no official request for the inclusion of fruits yet.
The scheme, launched in April 2019 with a $25 million budget until 2027, aims to de-risk the agricultural sector. It has already disbursed over USD 1,451,000 in compensation for insured losses. In the fiscal year 2022-2023, Rwanda exported 21,953 tons of fruits worth $19 million, marking a significant increase from the previous year.
Source: The New Times