Rwanda farmers predict poor corn yields in wake of an unusual dry spell

Unexpected dry spell in seasons where rains are usually plenty is hurting the fortunes of farmers in the Eastern Province. The unusual dry spell had been predicted by the weathermen in August when releasing the September to December 2021 rainfall seasonal forecast. Now, Evariste Tugirinshuti, the president of Maize Farmers' Cooperatives Federation in Eastern and Southern Province says that the prolonged dry spells could reduce maize produce to between 40 and 50 per cent. "The season is not good at all. Some maize farmers have not yet planted because they did not get rain. Others planted but seeds never germinated and while some seeds germinated they immediately dried up due to lack of rains," he said. Kirehe, Bugesera and Kayonza districts, he said, are the worst hit by the prolonged dry spell. Particularly, Kirehe District is the worst affected, he added. Tugirinshuti leads a cooperative that groups together some 1,500 maize farmers, majority of whom don't have irrigation ...