Tuesday 2 November, 2010
SUPPORTING THE PROMOTERS OF THE GREEN REVOLUTION
kilimokwanza@guardian.co.tz
INDIA TANZANIA
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Indian billions beckon TZ farmers
Tuesday 2 November, 2010
EDITORIAL
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A well organized market system is all farmers need
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NY serious critique on Tanzania’s social and economic development, regardless of how well-meaning or how cynical, will have missed the mark by far unless it notes that the country’s economy depends heavily on agriculture. Some records show that the sector accounts for well over a quarter of the country’s gross domestic product and upwards of 85 per cent of its exports, while providing employment for at least 80 per cent of the workforce. There will also most likely be mention of the undeniable fact the sector is overwhelmingly at the mercy of climatic conditions or the vagaries of weather, the raising of food and cash crops being near wholly dependent on rain. This is at best unfortunate, particularly considering that the country is among those most blessed with allweather natural supplies or reservoirs of water – among them lakes Victoria, Tanganyika, Nyasa and Rukwa as well as rivers such as the Nile, Ruvuma and Rufiji – the exploitation of whose potential in promoting agriculture remains at a very early stage. Some of the facts relating to the undeveloped state of Tanzania’s agriculture are so basic that it makes sad reading seeing that, a whole half a century after political independence, some areas produce much more food than they need when others cannot do without relief supplies - and this almost entirely owing to problems relating to transport and allied infrastructure. Additionally, as repeatedly admitted even by authorities, the country has near infinite tracts of virgin land that could be developed into excellent cropland or pastureland that would serve as pads from which to launch an agricultural revolution sure to succeed. This is not to belittle the importance of ensuring the availability of big enough numbers of agricultural extension officers close to where the people making the sector tick actually live and operate from. But there is also the need to lift the sector from its age-old subsistence level with its dismally meagre returns to a much higher level of enhanced productivity and more handsome rewards largely made possible with the deployment of things, thus effectively transforming
Artwork
& Design: KN Mayunga
the sector into a 21st century industry. To recap, there is impeccable documentary evidence that unfavourable topography and inclement climatic conditions have for long limited cultivated crops to no more than a fraction – a measly 4 per cent or thereabouts – of the land area. We are talking about a predominantly agricultural economy where cash crops, such as cloves, coffee, tea, cotton, cashews and pyrethrum, account for a huge percentage of export earnings. We are also talking about a country where a substantial portion of major cash and food crops reach the market too late or never reach the market at all and where poor pricing and unreliable cash flow to farmers have often touched off frustration and resentment. Those who have been closely following developments in Tanzania will have discovered the national initiative popularly known as Kilimo Kwanza, which places a premium on the application of advanced but practicable and widely affordable agricultural methods, is meant to address all these anomalies and generally pull the sting of drudgery from the sweat and toil of ordinary citizens engaged in small-time fishing, farming, animal husbandry, beekeeping and suchlike endeavours. Anyone with the interests of these people really at heart cannot dare dismiss such a well-intentioned strategy as a political ploy without direction. Indeed, the miracles Kilimo Kwanza is meant to perform ought to make all those wishing Tanzanians well rejoice and support the initiative in whatever way they can and with using whatever means at their disposal.
Revealed: Tanzania can double its food supply
MECHANISATION
Indian billions beckon TZ farmers
inside
‘Kilimo Kwanza’ means the very best for Tanzania
The Guardian KILIMO KWANZA
Tuesday 2 November, 2010
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By Angel Navuri
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anzania is favourably positioned to grab a significant share from India’s new wealth by using a little bit more of its vast unexploited agriculture potential. Not only has Tanzania secured unhindered access to India’s lucrative agricultural produce market, the two countries enjoy excellent relations and historical ties, in addition to both having thousands of kilometres of the Indian Ocean coastline. Elaborating on great fortune offered to Tanzanian farmers by the Indian market, the High Commissioner of India to Dar es Salaam HE Kocheril Bhagirath (pictured) pointed out the potency of a protocol signed two years ago that gives Tanzania unlimited access to the Indian market due the tariff-free regime established in favour of Tanzania’s agricultural produce. “Tanzania was the first signatory of the dutyfree tariff scheme for agricultural products announced by India. This has not only made India an attractive market for Tanzania’s agro products,
relationship between Tanzania and India. This year’s March trade volume between Tanzania and India had stood at USD231.96m, with India exporting goods worth USD194.84m to Tanzania, but these figures are far below expectation considering that the two countries have over the ages shared strong bilateral trade, with a long history of cooperation. According to statistics from the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) India exported USD772.82m in merchandise to Tanzania in 2009. Tanzania’s exports to India stood at USD187.58m in 2009, ranking India as the country’s largest trading partner. In 2008, India was the largest trading partner of Tanzania with bilateral trade standing at USD1032 bn. Trade volume between the two countries has been increasing steadily. In 2005 it was USD255.4m with India’s exports to Tanzania standing at USD191.2m, less than the country’s exports from January to March in 2010. In 2006 trade volume was USD293.6m with India exports standing at USD237m. Tanzania exported USD 56.6m in merchandise to India. India’s exports to Tanzania were USD512.40m in 2007 representing about 116 per cent increase from the 2006 exports, according to statistics from TRA. In 2008 India’s exports stood at USD859.73m, while imports from Tanzania were USD 78.65m in 2007, in 2008 it stood at USD 171.82m. Out of the total imports of India from Tanzania, agricultural produces were worth USD146.2m in 2008. Detailed interview with India’s High Commisioner to Tanzania:
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The tractors are here, so is the money, but not with the farmer
Wallace Mauggo Editor
8 To have your organisation promoted in Kilimo Kwanza, Call: 0787 571308, 0655 571308 0754 571308
but also very importantly guarantees a competitive purchasing price for the Tanzania farmer,” he said The agricultural produces that Tanzania currently exports to India include pulses, raw cashew nuts, raw cotton, cloves, coconut, dried leguminous vegetables, peas, timber, plants and parts used in perfumery and pharmacy and oil seeds. An interesting reversal of roles has played out between the two countries over the past decades or so that led to an attractive situation for our agriculture. For while in the past the relatively fewer Indians in Tanzania used to rely on food imports from India to get their staple diet, now the over one billion Indians in India are looking to Tanzania to supply a significant portion of their food stuff requirements, using its largely unexploited land. Tanzania has one hundred million hectares of agricultural land, of which 44 million is already suitable for farming while the rest needs major improvement. But even the 44million is hardly farmed, barely exploited using nonmechanised, rain-fed agriculture. Only about 200,000 are under irrigation. With Kilimo Kwanza in place, Tanzania is better poised to do good business with India if it makes god use of both its largely untapped resources like land and the duty-free India market. We should also take advantage of the good trade
Q: What is the size of India’s assistance to Tanzania’s agricultural sector? A: I am happy to say that India has a dutyfree tariff scheme for Tanzania’s agricultural produces as a way to support Kilimo Kwanza. This has also made India an attractive market for Tanzania’s agro-products, but also very importantly guarantees a competitive purchasing price for the Tanzanian farmer. India has recently completed a high technology project in Tanzania, that is a super computer system which has become operational in the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology which has ten regional centres in Kibaha, Bagamoyo, Morogoro, Dodoma , Iringa, Mbeya, Mtwara, Mwanza and Zanzibar for training information technology and medical treatment through the internet with Indian hospitals. This super computer also has capacity for agricultural sector. Farmers will also gain from cheap communication and cheap phones that will be made available by the Zain mobile phone company that is investing in the country. This will help farmers communicate easily with buyers of their products around the country. Q: In what specific areas of agriculture is India’s assistance channelled? A: We are based on capacity building. We have given scholarships for Tanzania agriculture professionals to go to India for further studies. We are discussing with the government so that companies from India can come and invest in fertilizer factories. Negotiations are on. Q: What other plans are there for India to participate in the country’s agriculture? A: We want to request for land so that Indian investors can come and invest in the country. Continues page 5
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National Service Corporation Sole
(SUMAJKT)
Liberating farmers through Kilimo Kwanza
DISTRICT COUNCILS
Help farmers get the right Agricultural equipments
AGRICULTURAL SACCOS
Help your members (farmers) to identifiy their needs towards getting this unique opportunity
Tanzania Investment Bank (TIB), CRDB Bank and Agriculture Inputs Trust Fund (AGITF) Important Institutions in empowering farmers towards success
FARMTRAC
“ It is a quasi-factory for farmers for more production, more implements at an affordable price” P.O. Box 1694, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Mob +255 0717 993 874 • 0715 787 887 • 0784 281 842 Email: agrtractors@yahoo.com
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The Guardian KILIMO KWANZA
The Guardian KILIMO KWANZA
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Tuesday 2 November, 2010
MECHANISATION
The Guardian KILIMO KWANZA
Tuesday 2 November, 2010
MECHANISATION
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What Institutional Reorganization for Management of Kilimo Kwanza Entails • Reflecting on pillar number three
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By Lazaro Felix
very good willed citizen of this country should currently be playing their part towards therealisation of Tanzania’s green revolution. So should different institutions and organizations which are at different stages of implementation of the Kilimo Kwanza pillars. Today we look at pillar number three to see who has done which portion of what was expected of them. Unfortunately, we were only able to interview a few officials assigned the different tasks in this pillar as some could not be reached due to different reasons. Pillar number three is about ‘Institutional Reorganization for Management of Kilimo Kwanza’. Mainstreaming environmental factors in all sectors of Kilimo Kwanza is one task under this pillar whose time frame is continuous. The responsible institution is the Office of the Vice President of the United Republic of Tanzania while the main collaborators are the Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF), the Governmental Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and the Local Government Authorities (LGAs). The Vice President’s office could not be reached for comment. However, at a recent engineers meeting on Kilimo Kwanza, the engineers discussed the importance of mainstreaming environmental issues in Kilimo Kwanza which they said were a catalyst towards achieving a green revolution. In his paper presentation during the 8th Annual Engineers’ Day in 2010, Prof. Jamidu Katima from the College of Engineering and Technology of the University of Dar es Salaam said; “Kilimo Kwanza intends to increase agricultural productivity, and if not done properly may result in immense environmental degradation.” The professor said this would result from increasing area under cultivation which could affect wildlife. He said surplus use of fertilizer could pollute rivers and lakes, it could affect flora and fauna and that there could be depletion of minerals in the soil. Agricultural activities could also create bad odour from the agricultural wastes. Soil erosion could also take place if better agricultural methods are not undertaken. On the impact of environment on agriculture, Prof. Katima identified the major driver as being climatic change. “Tanzania’s agriculture is very vulnerable to climatic change. In 2005, recurrent droughts triggered food shortages in most parts of the country and a slow down in the growth of the agricultural sector,” he said. Prof. Katima said in order to main-
stream environmental issues in Kilimo Kwanza afew challenges must be overcome. These include identifying and pursuing win-win policies, programs and interventions whereby we need to be clear about the environment-economic growth linkages so an economic
case can be made for mainstreaming environment. We also should recognize that trade-offs need to be made and ensuring that such trade-offs are socially optimal, for example we should not expect 100% clean implementation of Kilimo Kwanza. He also said there is a
need to develop coordination mechanisms of all key stakeholders in environmental management as well as internalizing environmental and social costs into Kilimo Kwanza. TPSF’s Executive Director Dr. Evans Rweikiza said the plan to main-
stream environmental factors in all sectors of production is based on policy issues of which he thinks efforts are going on well. He said the implementation of Kilimo Kwanza was encouraging and that things have changed to the better
for farmers who previously used to be affected by the many tax charges imposed on them. “Farmers were charged from ward, district and regional levels and for those who exported their crops they were also charged at the borders.
Currently, the environment is encouraging and more friendly to the farmers.” He noted that in the past national budget, farmers and some business people were exempted from some taxation and other charges, which explains how implementation of the program is
seriously taken into consideration. Commenting on the success of Kilimo Kwanza a year since it was launched in 2009, Dr. Rweikiza said it was too early to say anything pointing out that any development process starts with planning followed by alloca-
tion of resources and then implementation which is taking place now. “The government has now undertaken good strategies, farmers and business people should have more faith in the coming government in which the program will be maintained,” Dr. Rweikiza said. Another task under the third pillar is establishing an autonomous National Irrigation Agency (NIA) under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Cooperatives (MAFC) as well as reorganizing the two irrigation funds under the irrigation agency. The agency was supposed to be established as early as possible but Kilimo Kwanza has established that nothing much has been done on this though efforts are said to be underway. Christopher Kajoro Chiza the Deputy Minister of Water and Irrigation said had this to say; “The National Irrigation Agency is yet to be established, but we are in the process of doing so as part of fulfilling the green revolution.” He added that there once existed a similar agency that went down the drain but he declined to say what led to its collapse. Strengthening farmers’ organizations for full partnership with Government in agricultural policy and strategy formulation, implementation and evaluation is among the activities in the third pillar. The agriculture ministry was tasked to support capacity building of farmers and farmers’ organizations in the implementation of Kilimo Kwanza programmes starting in August last year. The spokesperson of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives Richard Kasuga said his office has made some achievements in this area. He explained that the ministry through its programme dubbed Agricultural Sector Development Programme (ASDP) has been facilitating farmers in capacity building at district level, whereby out of the total Tshs2.5 trillion allocated for the project, 75% of the amount is directed to implement the projects in municipals. “There are many achievements from the projects since farmers’ capacity building is maintained. This is evident at district level where the projects are implemented,” Kasuga said. He noted that the implementation of the programme has been facing some setbacks including low capacity of irrigation infrastructure, low capacity of agro-processing industries, lack of reliable markets and the fact that not all farmers have been able to benefit from subsidies. He identified climatic change as another area that has been hindering the programme’s success. Kasuga said the fact that rain is not reliable in Tanzania sometimes makes some things difficult to implement.
Indian billions beckon TZ farmers From page 3
India today is the largest trading partner of Tanzania and our twoway trade is expected to cross USD1bn for the second consecutive year. Although the balance of trade may be in favour of India, we remain the biggest and only importers of Tanzania’s agricultural products, which is almost one third of the total quantum of our trade. India buys pulses, cashew and cotton from Tanzania among others.
Q: Do you think heavy mechanization is best for Tanzania? A: On this matter India focuses on the small farmer and l think that the small farmer in Tanzania should remain the focus. The importance of focusing on this small farmer is that he or she will not leave land and come to the city to look for a job because he or she will be self employed and we are confident that the tractors that came in from India will be made available to various farmers. Q: Do you see a future for our Kilimo Kwanza? A: Agriculture is the backbone of many countries’ economy including Tanzania and it takes time for a country to be successful in agriculture. Tanzania has just started and it will succeed. It’s a good step that Tanzania has taken and India is ready to cooperate for the success of kilimo.
Any specific areas in agriculture that you would like the government to focus on? The government should focus on marketing as it’s an important part when it comes to agriculture as products don’t last very long due to high temperature. Making sure that the farmer has access to market will be the best thing the government can do for the farmer.
The Guardian KILIMO KWANZA
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Tuesday 2 November, 2010
MARKET
Hard work is not enough to succeed on the land
By Bhoke Msama, Morogoro.
griculture stakeholders have been advised to put politics aside and take Kilimo Kwanza seriously by focusing on its implementation so as to raise the national economy. The piece of advice was given by the Permanent Secretary of Industry, Trade and Market Ministry, Joyce Mapunjo at a recent National Market Development Forum organized by Rural Livelihood Development Company (RLDC) in Morogoro. She said implementing Kilimo Kwanza will benefit the wananchi, a majority who are farmers. A year after the Kilimo Kwanza policy was launched by President Jakaya Kikwete, Mapunjo says the agricultural sector seems to have improved since more and more farmers are trying to transform from traditional to commercial agriculture. However, she says there have been a lot of politics involved something which has made many farmers think Kilimo Kwanza is meant for politicians. Mapunjo said “It is high time we looked further into helping small farmers get market for their products. This will not only improve the standard of living of the farmers but also the national economy.” She said the idea to establish the market development forum developed after stakeholders found out that the availability of a stable market was the only solution to development and growth of economy sectors in Tanzania, and that it is a good example of implementing the policy of Public Private Partnership. According to Mapunjo, linking stakeholders such as academicians, experts, farmers and professionals in the market forum gives businessmen and producers an opportunity to air their views and exchange ideas on problems of market in the sector and how to solve them. “Involving all stakeholders in the field helps to make a review of what is going on, but taking only large scale producers without involving small scale farmers makes them susceptible to unscrupulous businessmen who give them unfair prices for their produces,” she said. Eighty per cent of Tanzanians depend on agriculture as a source of income, and half of the population lives in extreme poverty. This is why the government wants to implement the Kilimo Kwanza policy with in order to improve the people’s standard of living. Mapunjo told the forum that she believes the aim of all stakeholders is to improve the market system in order to increase competition in all forms of market inside and outside Tanzania. “Our aim is to bring positive changes in the market system for producers, businessmen, entrepreneurs and customers so that all may benefit equally,” she said. She said that a good market system enhances the national or community to have enough products of high standard and quality. The market system offers the platform to conduct business between the producers and customers. Development in many countries is the outcome of well organized market systems within their countries. Mapunjo says production sectors, especially agriculture, livestock, industry and trade fail to develop due to poor market systems which take advantage of small producers especially those who
The Guardian KILIMO KWANZA
Tuesday 2 November, 2010
FOOD SECURITY
Revealed: Tanzania can double its food supply without producing 1 kg more
By Bhoke Msama, Morogoro.
It is high time we looked further into helping small farmers get market for their produce.
A well organized market system is all farmers need
live in rural areas. Also the world economic reforms will continue to enforce us to change the market system in order to produce more and sell in the business market. She said the fact that Tanzania has joined the East African common market gives an opportunity to producers to produce more since the market has increased too, and so the competition to sell in EAC market also will increase in terms of standard and quality. “If our market system will fail to empower producers to compete in the
EAC market, then our country will turn into a dump site for other countries’ products,” she explained. She said since the majority of the population depends on the agriculture sector, so the market development forum is responsible to make sure that farmers and pastoralists have access to enough market for their products by showing them the market opportunities. This she said will in turn increase their income and contribute effectively in eradicating poverty in Tanzania. The forum’s objective is to bring
development to producers especially those living in rural areas, and development depends on availability of markets for their agricultureal products. The Chief Executive of RLDC, Charles Oguta believes the initiatives discussed by stakeholders at the meeting will bring changes to many farmers who are victims of unfair prices of their products. He called upon other stakeholders to continue contributing to the forum in order ensure that the forum creates more markets for farmers.
Some farmers get up as early as four every morning and walk for not less than five kilometers to their farms. They tirelessly till the land of which size is not a problem as some own five acres and above. However, what they reap at the end of the day is very minimal given the fact that they use the hand hoe. Some use ploughs, expensive fertilizers, seeds in order to increase their yield expecting to get profit when they sell their produces. Unfortunately, their produces end up rotting in their farms or getting spoilt due to lack of market. Farmers therefore find themselves with no choice but to sell at a loss so they may be able to get some money to support their families and to send their children to school. Farmers, especially peasants are victims of the long history of the market system in Tanzania. Initially, the government used to buy farmers’ produces through cooperative societies, agricultural products boards and national millings whereby farmers were guaranteed of fair prices. This was encouraging to many farmers and they kept producing more. The system is no longer the same and farmers are suffering since it’s difficult to get market for their products though they produce more every season. Low prices of agricultural products, lack of agricultural inputs such as fertilizers and quality seeds are major hurdles. The Executive Director of the National Network of farmers group in Tanzania (MVIWATA) Stephen Ruvuga recently shared his experience at the National Market Development Forum in Morogoro. He spoke on the challenges farmers are facing in their daily activities. He said the market system change in Tanzania has been unfair to many farmers. Small producers are facing problems such as restriction of selling their products outside the country, high tariffs, competition posed by imported products, poor infrastructures such as roads, market facilities, low prices of products and lack of price information among farmers. “Farmers can produce in huge quantities and high quality but when it comes to market and pricing, most of them don’t get profit from their business”. He explained. Due to poor market system, MVIWATA established small groups of producers and markets, to empower farmers by training them, giving them price information as well as bringing farmers together, businessmen, entrepreneurs and financial institutions such as SACCOS, to discuss their problems. Ruvuga said they have already established different projects aimed at helping farmers in marketing.
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By Angel Navuri, Tanga
anzania is a country of paradoxes. We could for example almost double our food stocks per year without producing a single extra kilogramme. How? By simply preventing the colossal loss of food harvested from our gardens, currently running between 40 and 60 percent in many part of the country. In other words, for every hundred kilos produced on our farms, 40 kilos are wasted before they reach any consumer. This sinful wastage is mostly
caused by poor storage, or absence of storage capacity in most cases. The other equally painful reality is that more than half of Tanzanians are kept in abject poverty by this very lack of capacity to properly handle what they produce from the land. For most peasants farmers, they are forced to sell their produce at a quarter of the average price for the year for fear of it going bad on their hands. For others, like the milk producer, they have to let their product rot away – 2 million litres which is half of the milk produced in Tanzania everyday rots before it can reach any market – and these livestock keepers who produce are thus effectively locked
out of the monetary economy. We then proceed to import more than half of the milk we consume. The general feeling among knowledgeable sector people is that government needs to take the establishment of food storage facilities far more seriously than it is today, as it too has been loosing billions of money as agricultural harvests rot after harvest season. Agricultural investor Jonathan Lane, who runs the Tanga packaging giant Pepe said private investors are ready to lend a hand if policy makers take efforts to liberate the country’s peasant farmers from the bondage occasioned by lack of modern storage more seri-
ously. Mr Lane said the country’s business community would if asked assist in formulating a storage strategy which would present farmers with affordable management for their harvest produce. This would translate into curbing post harvest loss, secure higher and more stable prices for the farmers and bring them into the modern monetary economy. He estimated that the country is loosing some 480bn/- per year in post harvest losses, money which would be enough to create significant grain storage capacity for the benefit of the farmer and the country as well.
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“The government should study the losses that it is making yearly and in this way it will be able to start planning for more storage,” he explained The agriculture veteran said that considering the huge investment, the current level of production is bound to increase dramatically hence the focus of the government on storage has never been so urgent. Other experts say the storages also will rescue the farmer from the middle men that the have been taking a lot of money from farmers and holding them in bondage. More than 20 years ago the country launched a campaign to improve food security, through mobilising people to adopt improved storage facilities. This was after experts noted that on average traditional grain storage caused crop losses averaging 40%, with some reports placing the loss as high as 50% when vegetables, tubers and fruits are added. In some sub sectors, the losses go up to 60%. It was then expected that the programme would lead to minimization of the huge loss and thus improve food security. Few months back the Director of National Food Security in the ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives, John Mngodo told the Guardian Kilimo Kwanza reiterated the 40 per cent loss of crops harvested in different parts of the country, occasioned by poor storage. This means loss of four bags out of every ten harvested from the field until they reach the table as food. "Post-harvest loss is one of main causes of the frequent shortages of food in our country. Research studies show that a large percentage of harvested food is attacked by pests because of poor storage," Mngodo said commenting on a report by a UK-based firm showing that the central and East African regions are the most vulnerable to future food problems. The firm does list Tanzania as one of the high risk areas. This revelation calls for a fresh and urgent relaunch of the campaign to ensure that more people adopt improved storage facilities of food crops to minimize the loss. When calculated against the final national food output, it will be clear that we are talking of millions of bags of grains and other types of foods lost annually, forcing the country to run back to donors for food aid. We recall that the government in the last farming season had to move massive amounts of food to 61 districts in the country hit by crop failure leading to serious food shortage, mainly on account of drought. The government has also put in place on the ground, a monitoring system, so as to be alerted quickly when a particular area faces food shortage. The move is commendable and has indeed been able to fend off a worsening of the food shortage in various parts of the country, but we need to improve upon it. “We need to revisit the issue of food security at family level by asking the question: How good are family food storage methods, especially in villages?” Mr Lane asked According to Mngodo, the methods are inadequate, mainly due to farmers' lack of sufficient knowledge of modern ways of storing harvested crops. “As we set out to ensure that Agriculture First takes root, we are recommending that this be one of the areas that get priority focus,” Mr Lane said.
The Guardian KILIMO KWANZA
MECHANISATION
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Tuesday 2 November, 2010
By Angel Navuri
SUMA JKT has urged farmers to visit Tanzania Investment Bank so as to be advised on the procedures of getting tractors on credit. JKT recently started stocking hundreds of tractors for selling to farmerd.
he Executive Director Col Ayoub Emu Mwakang’ata in an interview with Kilimno Kwanza last week said that it is not right for the tractors that have been brought for farmers to benefit to be lying idle at JKT
grounds. He explained that some of the farmers that have visited SUMA seeking to buy tractors and have considerable first installment money to put down have been directed to go TIB. “Farmers have been visiting SUMA interested in buying and wanting to pay deposit for the tractors; which we advise them to go to TIB bank so that they can get more assistance,” he noted Mwakang’ata added that SUMA wants as many farmers as possible to benefit from the tractors including those in the interior, as a way to increase food security. He noted that it’s now high time for farmers to use this chance that the government is issuing affordable agricultural inputs so as to cultivate for business too. “At first agriculture equipments were very expensive but right now the government is offering them at affordable terms so people will be able engage in agriculture both for domestic and business as farmers will be able to produce more surplus to sell,” Mwakang’ata said He explained that the government has had to engage in tractor supplies directly itself since all private dealers put together can do very little to
The tractors are here, so is the money, but not with the farmer
satisfy the demand of the country which is 75,000 and right now only less than 15,000 are available. But a few months back Tanzania Investment Bank raised concern that they are failing to issue loans to farmers because they don’t have most of the important documents that could help them get loans like land title deeds.
AGRITAN
Farming villages to boost food output in Congo
T R A C T O R S L I M I T E D A G R I T A N
P.O. Box 212, Mazimbu Road (Former Heavy Plant Yard), Morogoro, Tanzania. Tel: Mr mwapili: +255-784-421606, Mr Nsekela: +255-786-150213, Fax: +255-27-6246882 Email: jlane@pptl.biz, Mwapili@pptl.biz, mohamed_nsekela@yahoo.com Website: www.pptl.biz/tractorsltd
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Tanzania Investment Bank, which recently set up a specialized window to lend farmers, is also among those that will not entertain a borrower who has no land title. But a solution is on the way. The process of registering, surveying and titling land has gathered momentum. What is more, the (Central) Bank of Tanzania has also
taken a bold step and set up guarantee schemes with banks that are involved in financing farmers. Most peasants in Tanzania say they cannot step up their scale of agricultural operations because they lack capital. Yet they possess the most important capital input for farming – land. How then do they heed their leaders’ call to modernize and commercialize their farms in order to break out of their poverty trap? Since the declaration of Kilimo Kwanza a year ago, farmers have been advised to seek finance from banks as the quickest way to secure modern equipment, buy inputs, improve storage and engage in basic processing to stem the colossal post-harvest losses. But the banks require security, which most farmers do not have. The wake up call must have come with the opening of the agriculture window at the Tanzania Investment Bank – and the farmers did not qualify to borrow there. Reason? No security. Despite their holding hectares upon hectares of land, Tanzanian farmers cannot take this valuable asset to the bank, because most of them do not have official documents to prove their ownership, the documents through which ownership can be legally transferred to a buyer, or a creditor. All that is set to change, however, as the Ministry of Lands, Housing and settlement embarks of an exercise to step up the surveying and registration of land upcountry. The ICT Director in the ministry Mr Elias Nyambusani disclosed to Kilimo Kwanza in Dodoma during this years NaneNane that they have started in earnest to survey the country, especially those areas where farming is taking place with a view to issuing the bona fide farmers with titles to their land. That way, the farmers should be in position to present the titles as collateral in banks where they seek loans for capital.
The Republic of Congo has launched a “farming village” project to boost food self-sufficiency, with the first one inaugurated in Nkouo, about 80km north of Brazzaville, the capital, on 8 October. It houses 40 families from different regions of the country. "Forty hen-houses, a warehouse, a sorting centre and refrigerated storage space have been made available. Each family received 792 laying hens and 2ha for cultivation,” said project director JeanJacques Bouya. According to the Minister of Agriculture, Rigobert Maboundou, produce will be sold by the state and a portion of the revenue returned to the farmers. Set up by Société congolaise de modernisation (Socomod), a subsidiary of an Israeli company L.R. Groups, the project is funded entirely by the Congolese government to the tune of USD26 million. "Nkouo will produce two million kilogrammes of cassava per year… which will, undoubtedly, contribute to food selfsufficiency in Brazzaville," said the director of Socomod, Etrog Yehushua. “Our goal is to boost food self-sufficiency and hold down imports,” said Maboundou. "Besides the new agricultural villages there are other initiatives: restocking of livestock, mech-
anization of agriculture and distribution of improved seeds," he added. "Conditions here are suitable for large-scale agriculture: we have water, electricity and a school for our children," Gaetan Charlly Lengou, 32, one of the new farmers, told IRIN.
The first “farming village” project was inaugurated on 8 October in Nkouo, about 80km north of Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo According to a 2010 report by the International Food Policy Research Institute, 21 percent of people are undernourished and 11.8 percent of children are underweight in Congo. In addition, the UN Children's Fund says more than a quarter of deaths among children under five are attributable to malnutrition. Irin