Burundi has built its own organo-mineral fertilizer plant to overcome challenges in importing and distributing chemical fertilizers to farmers. Says Simon Ntirampeba, Director General of Fertilizers Organo-Minerals Industries (FOMI)
asked of what made him to think about such an initiative? Simon Ntirampeba explained,
“The idea of creating an organo-mineral fertilizer plant was born from the high cost of importing fertilizers to the public treasury and agro-pastoralists. Not to mention that the quantities available in time are frequently insufficient.” Ntirampeba said
“I have developed a certain expertise in the field of importation and distribution of mineral fertilizers. I am therefore aware of all the difficulties encountered such as the theft of trucks and their contents, huge losses, etc.” He added
“This organo-mineral fertilizer plant targets Burundi’s food security and sovereignty, job creation and the currency economy.” He concluded
FOMI’s raw material is 65% local and consists of organic manure and dolomitic limestone. The remaining 35% of chemical fertilizer is imported.
The factory indicated that it works in cooperation with other research institutions that operate in Burundi or even internationally such as the Institute of Agricultural Sciences of Burundi (ISABU), FABI, etc.
What is the annual expectation for FOMI organo-mineral fertilizers?
Annual production for organo-mineral fertilizers is currently estimated at 50 000 tonnes and 70 000 tonnes for agricultural lime. But in the interest of farmers for this new product from Fomi-Imbura, the extension of its factory is considered because the demand can increase from one moment to another.
Agricultural lime is used to improve biological diversity by making Ph favorable for life in the soil. It is produced from dolomitic rocks extracted from local deposits.
About FOMI
FOMI is a leading factory with 100% Burundian shareholders. It is located on the National Road No. 5, 9km from downtown Bujumbura not far from the Capital International Airport. It currently has about 400 employees, 300 of whom have already had contracts.
FOMI is one of the few factories in the field in the Central and East Africa subregion. It is committed to safeguarding the environment and investing in research for development to bring innovative technologies.
Author: Adrian Lavista https://regionweek.com/burundi-has-established-its-own-fertilizer-factory/
