A new lease on life for farmers

Dar es Salaam. When the larger grain borer (LGB) -- described by scientists as the most devastating storage pest of maize and cassava -- wrecked havoc in the 1980s, policymakers were jolted into action.

Before that, Tanzania had no policy on storage of agricultural products. That largely led to high post-harvest losses, mainly of cereals, which endangered food security in the country.

Counting its losses and facing a food crisis in the aftermath of the 1980s reign of terror by the LGB, the government resolved to support farmers to reduce post-harvest losses (PHL).

The approach was in part aimed at ensuring that farmers used recommended storage practices in order to reduce infestation in their store.

Farmers lose up to 40 per cent of their harvest through PHL, according to a recent policy brief published by the Research on Poverty Alleviation (Repoa).

Such huge losses have a negative impact on the farmers’ income.

In a bid to address the situation, the government tasked the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (Sagcot) to, among other things, ensure that it helps farmers mitigate post harvest losses.

The organisation was also established with a purpose of improving agricultural output along the southern corridor.

It intends to, by 2030, ensure that 350,000 hectares of land are used for profitable production, translating into putting 100,000 small-holder farmers into commercial farming.

The plan also includes creating 420,000 new employment opportunities, lift two million people out of poverty and generate $1.2 billion in annual farming revenue.

During a recent meeting with editors in Dar es Salaam, Sagcot chief executive officer Geoffrey Kirenga said his body was part of the government’s plan to revive agriculture.

The plan involves the private sector and international organisations, to help farmers improve their activities.

“And things are looking better. We started with 20 stakeholders; now we have 105 stakeholders who are working with us towards the goal of assisting small-holder farmers,” he said.

“In areas where we have started working we have recorded promising results as farmers who have adopted modern farming methods have started to see the results.”

Sagcot draws its partners from government institutions, the private sector, developmental organisations, research institutions, foundations, civil societies and farmer groups.

Mr Kirenga says partners are not sought for the purpose of assisting small-holder farmers only, but also to invest themselves in the agricultural sector, or partner with local investors to further improve investments.

Sagcot has so far invested about $3.5 billion, and according to Mr Kirenga, it has recruited more than 100,000 middle agribusiness operators.

Major changes

Some of the major changes that Sagcot has made can only be noticed by comparing the situation of farmers it has partnered with -- what they were and what now are. It’s been a turning around of fortunes, the Sagcot boss said.

He cites the case of tomato farmers they have been working with in Iringa Region, saying they have not been complaining about the lack of a reliable market for their produce. In Morogoro last year, it was a different story.

“We did not hear these complaints from Iringa simply because we teamed up with farmers in the region to prioritise increased and sustainable production,” he says. “They also now apply new technologies in processing, which tremendously reduced dependence on imported tomato pulp.”

Tomatoes are the largest vegetable crop grown across many areas in the country, mainly by small-holder farmers. However, varieties grown in the country were of poor quality. The varieties were not disease and pest resistant, and they normally produce low yields.

Moreover, tomatoes are fragile and have very short shelf life and can easily be damaged during storage and transportation.

“In order to assist small-holder farmers, Sagcot initiated a new strategic partnership in May 2015, which operates in Ihemi Cluster in Iringa and Njombe. Under this partnership, Darsh Industries, a tomato processor based in Ihemi, works with a coalition of Sagcot partners to improve processing. As a result, it managed to buy all tomatoes from the farmers, that is why you did not hear Iringa farmers complaining last year,” says Mr Kirenga.

He noted that the partnership works across the tomato value chain, from farming to processing and packaging. Tomatoes are processed into finished and semi-finished products, such as tomato paste in cans and aseptic bags, tomato sauce and ketchup.

Dairy industry

Another partnership has enabled Sagcot and other stakeholders to turnaround the dairy industry, also in Iringa Region. Tanzania ranks among the top three countries in Africa with the highest number of livestock.

However, Tanzania has largely failed to capitalise on its potential in this area. For instance, milk production of a local cattle is typically low, at between one and three litres per animal per day. The country’s dairy industry is relatively small.

But the dairy industry has potential to contribute in efforts to improve food security and nutrition.

Demand for milk in the country has increased over the past decade, and is projected to increase further. By 2020, it is estimated to reach 100 litres per year, from a current level of 45 litres.

“In order to address these challenges and grab the opportunities, Sagcot works with its partners to develop a dairy value chain strategic partnership. This initiative is based in Iringa, where 1,400 farmers are currently providing raw milk to Asas’ dairy processing plant,” says Mr Kirenga.

The factory has processing capacity of 12,000 litres of milk per day, producing a range of dairy products. But the partnership did not only help small-holder farmers to improve their production, it also helped the factory expand its processing capacity.

“At current level of between 12,000 and 14,000 litres per day, the factory operates at only half of its capacity. But with increased production, we will also help the factory expand this capacity in order to ensure farmers have a reliable market for their produce,” says Mr Kirenga.

Soya farming

Sagcot has also worked with farmers to improve soya farming. Despite the potential of the crop in improving nutrition and soil fertility, soya production in Tanzania is very low because of limited land, poor crop management and the minimal use of fertilisers during farming. Yields are also curtailed by the limited availability of quality seeds and the absence of adapted varieties.

But this is about to become history, according to Mr Kirenga, who noted that Sagcot’s partnership with farmers and other stakeholders to improve soya farming has started to show impressive results.