By Seif Gracien Hasingizwimana/Kigali,Rwanda,
Farmers, particularly potato producers in Rutsiro District, state that the agricultural and livestock insurance program Tekana Urishingiwe Muhinzi Mworozi has ended years of devastating losses caused by landslides, droughts, and floods that used to destroy their crops.
Rutsiro District, located in a mountainous zone of western Rwanda, remains highly exposed to extreme climate hazards. Farmers there used to face recurrent disasters, including prolonged droughts, landslides, and floods. Since 2024, many producers have started joining the Tekana agricultural insurance program, which compensates for losses related to insured crops and livestock.
In the Kigeyo sector, specifically the Rwambeho marshland, potato producer Mutuyimana Florentine affirms that this program has profoundly changed their daily lives.
She explains that they used to suffer huge losses, where a plot capable of producing more than 500 kilograms of potatoes could yield nothing after a disaster. Today, when crops are destroyed, they receive compensation.
During the last agricultural season, the Biruye River, which flows through the Rwambeho marshland, overflowed and eroded the cultivated lands. A technical assessment was conducted by an agronomist and transmitted to the insurer.
The marshland covers 6.5 hectares. Under normal conditions, they produce about 18 tons per hectare, but this season they only obtained 10 tons per hectare. The Tekana program compensated them with around one million Rwandan francs, she adds.
The Vice Mayor of Rutsiro District in charge of economic development, Uwizeyimana Emmanuel, acknowledges that participation in the program remains lower than its actual potential, due to a lack of information in certain areas.
Commitments of Rutsiro district
As part of the mobilization around the Tekana program, the district has committed to further strengthening agricultural and livestock insurance coverage.
Local authorities plan, within a one year timeframe, to reach an additional 140,5 hectares of maize, 109,5 hectares of beans, and 114,5 hectares of potatoes. For livestock, the goal is to insure an additional 157 cows, 26 pigs, and 1 450 chickens.
The manager of the TEKANA project within the RAB SPIU, Joseph Museruka, acknowledges that the program has already produced significant results, but insists on the need to reinforce awareness.
He indicates that more than 200 000 farmers benefit each year from this subsidized insurance. The government covers 40 percent of the premium, while the farmer pays 60 percent.
He adds that so far, more than 9,39 billion Rwandan francs have been paid out in compensation. Among this, approximately 5,26 billion was allocated to agricultural producers and 4,13 billion to livestock farmers. The total government subsidy to support the program amounts to more than 7,02 billion Rwandan francs.
The TEKANA program, implemented by the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board under the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, thus continues to play a key role in the resilience of farmers against natural disasters.
