The Tuduzumwimbu Nyamugari Cooperative was established in 2024 in Gitega Province, Burundi, to produce and market maize, bean, and potato seeds.
Since then, the cooperative has been participating in the trainings provided under Phase 2 of the Private Seed Sector Development (PSSD2) project.
The members of the cooperative learned about improved inputs and other good agricultural practices through the project’s Farmer Field Schools and demonstration plots. After that, their crop yields improved significantly.
Maize production increased from 500 kilograms (kg) to 2 metric tons (mt) per hectare, while bean production rose from 200 kg to 1 mt on 0.5 hectares. Moreover, the cooperative’s cultivated area expanded from 2 to 6 hectares, with total production estimated at 60 mt per season.
However, this progress also presented a challenge – a lack of adequate storage facilities. With a storage capacity limited to 3 mt, the cooperative experienced significant losses, including 400 kg of maize and 2.5 mt of potato, due to moisture, rodent infestations, and diseases.
In 2025, with support from the PSSD2 project, the cooperative secured co-financing to construct an 80-mt storage warehouse. This facility allows the cooperative to store seeds more effectively, reduce post-harvest losses, and market its produce under more favorable conditions.
Felaide Irumva, president of the cooperative, expressed appreciation, saying, “On behalf of all the members of our cooperative, I sincerely thank IFDC and the PSSD2 project for their support. The storage warehouse and the other forms of assistance we have received are helping us expand our activities, improve our incomes, and strengthen our cooperative.”
This experience highlights the importance of storage infrastructure and technical support in sustainably strengthening agricultural cooperatives.
The Private Seed Sector Development, Phase II (PSSD2) (2018-2026), funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and implemented by the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), aims to increase the production and incomes of 178,000 farmer households in Burundi. The project works with private and public sector partners to promote the development of a private sector-led seed industry that is able to provide farmers with sustainable access to high-quality seed and agricultural advisory services.
