By Jean de Dieu Ndayisaba.
Some rice farmers in the Bugarama Marshland, located in Rusizi District, have praised a liquid fertilizer known as Coda, supplied by Dairwa Ltd, saying that its use has significantly improved both the quality and quantity of rice production. The supplier says efforts are underway to further improve fertilizer application methods through technology to better support farmers.
Oscar Hamenyimana, the head of Koproriki Cooperative, which grows rice in the Bugarama Marshland area of Gikundamvura Sector, says that the use of Coda fertilizer has brought a noticeable change in rice productivity.
He said:“When Coda is applied, empty grains are rarely seen, and the panicles become heavier. We conducted a comparison between plots where Coda was applied and those where it was not, and we found that the treated fields produced higher yields.”
The Managing Director of Dairwa Ltd, Laurent Maisha Ngarambe, explained from a scientific perspective how the fertilizer contributes to higher yields.“When farmers use only NPK and Urea, they are applying just three mineral nutrients, yet rice requires at least eleven essential nutrients to grow properly. This is why research was conducted in collaboration with the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board, comparing plots treated with NPK and Urea alone to those treated with NPK, Urea, and Coda. The results showed a clear difference in yield,” he said.
Ngarambe added that discontinuing the use of Coda can lead to a visible decline in productivity.“Rice fertilized with NPK and Urea alone may weigh about 90 kilograms per full sack, while rice from fields treated with NPK, Urea, and Coda weighs between 125 and 130 kilograms per sack.”
He further noted that Dairwa Ltd is improving fertilizer distribution and application methods to make them more farmer-friendly and efficient.
“Our goal is to support farmers with solutions that are easy to use and that increase productivity. The equipment farmers are currently using was provided by us. They initially used manual sprayers, then motorized ones, but fuel consumption was high. We therefore introduced battery-powered pumps that can be recharged and offer the same power as motorized equipment,” he explained.
Currently, Dairwa Ltd supplies Coda fertilizer to rice farmers in various parts of the country, particularly in the eastern, Southern, and western provinces.
During a single farming season, in the Bugarama marshland, which has approximately 1,500 hectares under rice cultivation, about 700 liters of Coda fertilizer are applied. Farmers say this has led to a significant increase in rice yields.
