A survey carried out in 2018 shows that, for the 2018C season, chemical fertilizers were scarce in 58 % of communes. They were available in medium quantity in only 11 % of communes, and insufficient in 31 % of communes.
- Scarce: 58 %
- Medium : 5 %
- Sufficient : 6 %
- Insufficient : 31 %
Generally, only 40.7 % of agricultural households in Burundi use chemical fertilizers. FOMI, the only organo-mineral fertilizer and agricultural lime plant based in the country, is not meeting the demand. In the 4th quarter of 2020, imports of mineral or chemical phosphate fertilizers amount to BIF 11,262.7 million.
One solution would be to set up other fertilizer production factories in the Zone Economique Speciale (ZES Burundi). And in addition to Burundi market, the units would also supply the East African Community (EAC), a bloc with over 244 million inhabitants.
Burundi’s area is 27,834 km 2 including 2,700 km2 of lakes and 23,500 of potential agricultural land. The average population density is estimated at 423.06 inhabitants/km2 (2017) with peaks exceeding 700 inhabitants in some localities. The agricultural households add up to 1,740,546.
Finally, the burundian agriculture sector is the main provider of employment (84 % of the population) and provides 95 % of food supply.
