Rwanda: Successfully tested imminent mobile app to enhance potato farming

Nine banks and other financial institutions in Rwanda is going to start issuing several financial services to Irish potato cooperatives through a new mobile telephone platform.

The platform titled 'Mpuzanunguke Kirayi' will among other utilities, assist farmers to carry out various bank transactions on their telephones, including applying for loans without necessarily leaving their farms. The farmers will also get the assistance to record their produce on a seasonal or daily basis that will then allow financial institutions to trace the farmer's financial capacity when applying for a loan.

The Irish potato farmers, banks and financial institutions have successfully tested the imminent platform in the last eight months. On Tuesday, a workshop took place in Musanze District where the stakeholders including the Ministry of Trade and Commerce (MINICOM) agreed to begin exploiting the technology in the 2020 agricultural season 'A' which is slated to be started in the next three months, as reported by The New Times.

"Farmers from their respective rural areas are now able to use their simple phones to open bank accounts on which they can deposit and withdraw money instantly," Speciose Mukarukaka, a partnership officer for KCB Bank Rwanda, opined.

Whereas, one stakeholder-cum-KCB Bank Rwanda cited that they were ready to offer a wide range of affordable services to farmers through the platform to enhance agriculture.

The farmers were suggested to utilize the platform effectively by carrying out regular transactions on their accounts as much as they can so as to enhance their creditworthiness. "Before guaranteeing a loan to a client, the bank checks their capacity to pay back, and this is determined by analysing the transactions," Damien Rutegeranya, the manager of Duterimbere Microfinance in Musanze and Rubavu districts advised.

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