Committed to supporting producers, Inades-Formation Burundi provides support to producer organizations for training and equipment. It is in this context that an official meeting was organized on April 13, 2022 in Buhoro with a view to handing over buildings to the ABAHUZABIKORWA Cooperative and to FONSDEV NYUNGURUZA. The members of these 2 organizations are tea producers from Buhoro Commune, Cibitoke Province. The constructions are made up of the office of the Solidarity Fund for Development “FONSDEV NYUNGURUZA”, the fermentation tanks, the cassava dryer and a block of latrines. For the ABAHUZABIKORWWA cooperative, these infrastructures are in addition to the others that were handed over in 2016. FONSDEV NYUNGURUZA opened its doors in 2015 but did not yet have its own office.
The ceremonies saw the participation various personalities, namely, the Director of Inades-Formation Burundi, the Chief of Staff of the Governor of Cibitoke Province, the delegate of the Director General of the Office du Thé du Burundi “OTB”, the Technical Council for the Development of commune of Buhoro, the President of the National Confederation of Associations of Tea Producers “CNATHE”, the Chiefs of the security forces of the area, the members of the ABAHUZABIKORWA Cooperative, the representatives of all the tea complexes of Burundi (Rwegura, Jenda , Mugamba and Tora) and the media.
The solemn cutting of the ribbon marking the official opening and handover of the said buildings began the festivities. This imperative activity was jointly carried out by the Governor’s Chief of Staff and the Director of Inades-Formation Burundi.
The guests then visited the handed over buildings, starting with the FONSDEV office. The leaders of the ABAHUZABIKORWA Cooperative guided the public and provided explanations related to the functioning of these various infrastructures which will contribute to increasing the performance of household services.
During the visit, the guests highly appreciated the quality of these buildings that Inades-Formation Burundi has just offered to producers. This support approach strengthens food systems based on family farming in communities.
At the end of the guided tour, the discussions in plenary were characterized by four main speeches delivered successively by the President of CNATHE, the Director of Inades-Formation Burundi, the Representative of OTB and the Chief of Staff of the Governor of Cibitoke Province.
The President of CNATHE sincerely thanked Inades-Formation Burundi for its undeniable support since 2004. He calls on members of the ABAHUZABIKORWA cooperative to capitalize and appropriate the achievements of Inades-Formation Burundi. Good governance and transparency in the management of cooperatives and associations must be strengthened for more credibility and to avoid conflicts. The various committees at the national, provincial, municipal and hill level must forge a good relationship with the administration in a spirit of common development.
The Director of Inades-Formation Burundi returned to the importance of granting buildings to FONSDEV NYUNGURUZA and the ABAHUZABIKORWA Cooperative thanks to funding from the Basque Government through the Alboan Foundation. They complement other infrastructure sold in 2016. To enlighten the public, he summarized three projects being implemented in this province of Cibitoke.
These projects aim to promote food sovereignty, food sovereignty and the strengthening of community resilience in the face of climate change. The actions contribute to the development of the country in general and to the needs of the communities in the area of intervention. In all these projects, women and young people are significantly involved. He has not failed to trace the path of support for these producers since 2004. It recognizes the frank collaboration with the administration and the OTB and other state institutions so that agricultural producers are professional and can achieve autonomy in order to face poverty.
The Agronomic Director of OTB, delegate of the General Manager, greatly appreciated the support of Inades-Formation Burundi in the tea sector and the buildings handed over during these ceremonies. He hammered the commitment of the OTB to facilitate services to tea producers including the granting of inputs at low prices.
The Chief of Staff of the Governor of Cibitoke Province thanked Inades-Formation Burundi very much for the buildings given to FONSDEV and the Cooperative. He invited the beneficiaries of these infrastructures to safeguard them well. The provincial administration is determined to support any initiative by producers in general and tea producers in particular.
Inades-Formation Burundi welcomes the step taken in its mission to promote the social and economic development of the populations. The efforts made in this province are considerable and the results are remarkable. The dynamism of the beneficiaries is proof of this. The training provided since 2004 has enabled producers to organize themselves into groups, associations and a single confederation of “CNATHE” tea producers at the national level. Its credibility and strength allow it to be involved in national decision-making bodies in the tea sector, because the President of this confederation is a member of the Board of Directors of the Burundi Tea Board. It represents all Burundian tea producers and finds a crucial space for advocacy, hence certain advantages already granted to this cash crop sector in Burundi, not to mention other family crops already introduced.
Communication department – Inades-Formation Burundi