EDITORIAL: LET’S PROMOTE ORGANIC FARMING COUNTRYWIDE
One of the front page reports in our yesterday’s edition set out to show how farmers in Tanzania “can earn more through organic cotton farming.”
The country indeed does have a huge potential for organic cotton production. However, that potential is yet to be fully tapped – although NOT for lack of trying.
Tanzania is ranked the fifth largest organic cotton producer out of the 21 world countries that currently produce organic cotton – led by India.
Generally speaking, organic farming is both environment-friendly and less costly than its counterpart: ‘inorganic farming’.
This is basically because organic farming uses natural seeds that have not been artificially modified; organic fertilizers (like compost, or green manure and bone-meal) – and practises crop rotation as well as inter-cropping/polyculture.
On the other hand, ‘inorganic farming’ usually uses the so-called ‘High-Yielding Variety/ genetically-modified seeds, artificial fertilizers, pesticides, etc. – all of which are not only highly-expensive, but also pose grave danger to human health and life, as well as the Environment at large.
The situation is worsened when, for instance, farm pests develop resistance to pesticides, thus making it necessary to rise above that by developing and applying stronger, more expensive pesticides whose harm to humans and the environment is also increased.
Although organic cotton farming in Tanzania dates back to the early 1990s, it was only in the 2017/18 farming season that 12,000 farmers earnestly took it up, following massive sensitisation on the benefits of the sub-sector.
Consequently, Tanzania produced 16,000 tonnes of organic cotton in 2019/20, and the number of organic cotton farmers – which had risen to 34,000 in the 2020/2021 – is projected to reach 58,000 in the 2021/2022 farming season.
But, there is more room to do better for organic cotton farming in particular and organic farming in general. So, we should formulate suitable policies and regulatory frameworks that no end elevate sustainable organic farming for the good of the country and its people.
AVIATION SAFETY CRUCIAL
The Technical Cooperation Bureau of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is implementing a project in Tanzania that’s designed and intended to “enhance the (country’s) civil aviation safety oversight systems”.
The $1m (roughly Sh2.310bn) project is financed by a Chinese grant through its South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund (SSCAF). SSCAF was established in 2015 to – among other things – “assist developing countries in implementing their agendas”.
Formally launching the project in Dar es on January 14 this year, the Works and Transport Deputy Minister, Godfrey Kasekenya, said “the aviation industry must ensure that safety and reliability compliance remain robust so that air transport’s core value offerings are duly safeguarded.” For tourist-preferred destinations like Tanzania, enhanced civil aviation safety oversight systems are crucial. This is especially during the ongoing viral Covid-19 global pandemic which has been wreaking havoc on world travel in general, and tourism in particular – and from which Tanzanian tourism and the economy are recovering.
Indeed, safe, rapid aviation services are essential for global business, as this facilitates international trade, including tourism -- thereby significantly contributing to socioeconomic growth,” Mr Kasekenya said.
We agree with the deputy minister on this, and Tanzanians are most grateful to China, ICAO and other development partners for bolstering the country’s aviation industry no end.
