Guard your coffee plantations, farmers encouraged
The Mayor of Kazo Town Council, Mr.Mugarura Justus Muhimbuura, encouraged coffee farmers in Ruzinga Village, Rwempiri Ward Kazo Town council, Kazo District to strengthen security around and within their coffee plantations.
This follows a surge in cases related to invasion of people’s coffee plantations and harvesting the ripe and unripe coffee cherries . This concern has severally been raised by the locals in the Villages that make Rwempiri Ward.
It has been observed that these acts have become a security threat that needs the intervention of the district security committee before the situation gets out of hand.
Mugarura said that all these could be fueled by individuals who have refused to plant coffee even when the government gave out free seedlings to farmers. And more so, it is fueled by those who fail to report the thieves.
Edward Tumuhimbise , a coffee grower in Ruzinga Village,Rwempiri ward, Kazo Towncouncil, said that farmers have been forced to guard their plantations all the time to scare away thieves.
According to Tumuhimbise, the suspects are thought to be mainly vagabonds who do not work but have resorted to surviving on theft.
The Chairman LC1, Saturday Hillary observed that thieves have gone as far as using mosquito nets for harvesting coffee or cutting coffee branches off coffee trees . After cutting them off they disappear to the bushes close to the gardens and pick the cherries. They strike at night when human movement is minimal.
