Farmers association hit by deep financial crisis

Arusha. The Tanganyika Farmers’ Association (TFA), one of the oldest agricultural institutions in the country established in the 1930s to support farmers with appropriate inputs and tools, is in deep financial crisis.

The Arusha-based organisation now wants the government to step in by assisting it to recover back its assets such as the godowns, residential houses and farms, which were acquired or sold in suspect deals by its former officials.

TFA board chairman Peter Sirikwa told a recent meeting of members of the association that the body has incurred a loss of Sh40 billion in the last five years.

He told the deputy minister for Agriculture, Ms Mary Mwanjelwa that the former officials of the association were the ones to blame for the financial woes because they confiscated or dubiously sold most of the prime assets.

“They simply turned TFA into their personal property”, he said during a meeting held at TFA Complex, one of the last remaining key assets of the body located along Dodoma road.

Mr Sirikwa, however, could not name the officials alleged to have mishandled the association’s properties. In recent years, there had been court cases on a number of residential houses said to have been illegally acquired.

However, with strict financial discipline enforced by the current administration, TFA has managed to make a profit of Sh336 million during 2015/16 financial year, the official explained.

“This enabled us to pay our members dividends, thus regaining their trust to us,”  he pointed out.

However, when given the chance to speak, the deputy minister said the administration of the association should look forward and not spend much time glossing over the past losses.