Tanzania’s fertilizer suppliers warned over price hiking

Dar es Salaam. The government has warned fertilizer suppliers operating under the bulk procurement system to stick to the indicative prices failure of which will attract legal action including being taken to court.

The minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Development, Dr Charles Tizeba, said this when opening a fertiliser stakeholders’ forum in the city on Thursday, September 28.

He said, the government has set its indicative prices for DAP and Urea fertiliser for all districts and regions with the aim of ensuring all farmers access the key inputs.

"We set prices for the two most commonly used fertiliser in the country because we want the prices that farmers can afford,” he said.

Dr Tizeba said fertiliser suppliers need to ensure farmers were helped to gain knowledge on the importance and proper use of the agro-inputs.

He said the government aimed at ensuring that the entire population is food sufficient and secure.

According to him, setting the prices aimed to ensure both sides of farmers and suppliers benefitted from the fertiliser trade.

For his part, the head for the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (Agra) for Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda, Mr Nuhu Hatibu said the main theme of the meeting was focused on farmers and consumer rights.

According to him, farmers need to be made aware of type of soil profile and fertiliser to be used in their areas.