SMEs digest: Daring sisters help sort out aflatoxins, general poverty

Dar es Salaam. Experts in various parts of the country have continued to train farmers and other stakeholders on how best to care for grains so as to protect them from aflatoxin damage and its dire consequences.

Generally, aflatoxins are naturally-occurring secondary metabolite poisonous toxins that are produced by strains of fungi species Aspergillus worldwide – and which were first discovered in England about 30 years ago.

Largely as a result of the aflatoxins menace now raging in Tanzania, two enterprising sisters have set up a maize flour processing factory in the hope of effectively protecting consumers from aflatoxins.

The two sisters teamed up in 2012 to establish maize flour processing factories in Bagamoyo District in the Coast Region, and in the Mbagala area of Dar es Salaam metropolis, which are already benefiting a goodly number of customers in the markets of Dar es Salaam, Coast, Lindi and Mtwara and Mtwara administrative regions.

Plans are well under way for exports to markets in the Comoros, as well as South Sudan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Ms Joyce Kimaro and her elder sister (who shuns publicity and requested anonymity of sorts) started with an initial capital of Sh5 million for small-scale production using local technology. This enabled them to produce between 15 and 20 tonnes of maize flour a day.

But, when their operating capital increased to Sh10 million, the two sisterly entrepreneurs were able to purchase more modern machinery for their business. Today, we are told, their capital has reached Sh3 billion – thanks largely to the Tanzania Agriculture Development Bank (TADB) for loaning them funds with which to expand the production capacity of their business, trading in the name and style of JOYDONS (T) Limited, says its managing director, Ms Joyce Kimaro, 43. The company currently employs a total of 18 permanent workers and more than 230 casual labourers.

But the Kimaro sisters are not alone in the business, as there is today an untold number of maize flower producers across the land – many of whom operate modern, state-of-the-art machinery that’s most suited to efficient and effective production.

How they achieved early success

The two sisters decided to engage in maize flour processing after they found that most such producers do not take into serious consideration the quality of the maize flour they produce.

In this day and age of the aflatoxin menace, this poses a grave danger of consumers being exposed to aflatoxin poisoning and all its adverse effects. In that case, the Kimaro sisters took time and efforts to learn more about aflatoxins – and how best to control it.

In the processes, they also discovered that producers, consumers and many other stakeholders were largely unaware of the dangers which aflatoxins and other factors pose in the maize sub sector.

This prompted them to decide on how best to go about producing quality products, as well as providing education to other stakeholders in the maize value-chain.

“I took my studies in the United Kingdom (Post-Graduate Diploma in Management; and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration), aiming to return home and do business in the industrial-cum-manufacturing sector of the economy.

“For starters, I took up employment in one of the manufacturing industries in Tanzania with the goal of acquiring practical skills and experience – and this helped us to a large extent in establishing our own factory,” she recounts.

“The TADB loan we were given was for the purchase of modern machines with the latest technology that enables us to produce high quality products that are safe for human consumption,” she says – revealing that the factories are equipped with modern laboratories which test their product for safety before it goes to the market.

“To start with, the loan has enabled us to realise our dream of becoming productive within the national economy, and within local communities,” she says – adding that the company has the installed capacity to produce 240 tonnes of maize flour per day.

“Other direct beneficiaries are farmers from whom we buy maize directly and customers of our product, as well as the government in the forms of taxes and other levies imposed along the value-chain,” she recounts – adding as in in an afterthought that “if we did not get the TADB loan, it would have taken us much, much longer to achieve our goals.” The company now also produces assorted animal feeds over and above the production of maize flour.

Markets

“We currently sell our maize flour in four administrative regions on Mainland Tanzania – and plan to capture other markets soon enough, including export markets,” said the managing director, Joyce Kimaro.

Noting that the maize flour market is both promising and sustainable, Ms Kimaro says “We are ready to cater for the market needs by ensuring that our product meets with the prescribed standards of quality, while always bearing in mind the utmost safety of our customers-cum-consumers. “Our machinery is modern, and capable of analysing, recognizing and eliminating stainless steel, sand and rotten maize. These are the major sources of aflatoxins that cause harm to human health and wellbeing,” she said.

Insisting that “the market is not bad,” Ms Kimario said “the problem is that consumers of the product do not have enough knowledge to be able to readily distinguish between the high, safe quality of our product and the dubious quality of a similar product by other manufacturers.

“So, more often than not, they eschew our product on account of the fact that it costs slightly higher than those of our competitors in the market,” she virtually laments – revealing that their maize flower brands are traded in the names and styles of ‘Binti Ufukweni Sembe’ and ‘Lina Sembe.’ Another big challenge which the Kimaro sisters and their company are currently facing is unpredictable fluctuations of maize prices, thus making it difficult for them to project what the price of their maize flour should be with the passage of time and events.

However, the feedback from customers is generally positive, she said – revealing that plans are under way to introduce other products in the market.

Future plans

In the next five years to come, the Kimaro sisters plan to purchase more modern machines in noble efforts to ensure that Tanzanians and other consumers beyond its borders can readily access maize flour of the highest quality and safety for their general wellbeing.

The sisters also urge the government to help in providing the right education to maize farmers and users regarding the adverse effects of aflatoxins – and what should be done to ensure that people are safe from aflatoxins at all times.