Africa-Press – Kenya. Cosmas Ngh’oboko, the northern zone manager for the Tanzania Fertilizer Co. (TFC) said here yesterday that the company had agreed with Silica Buster Ltd, Kenya-based fertiliser manufacturers, on a new environmental friendly organic-based fertiliser named SBL Plus.
The development is a result of an agreement at the State House in Dar es Salaam back in October when the newly elected Kenyan president and his host tasked the responsible ministers to clear the remaining 14 barriers, to boost intra-EAC trade.
This was a fast changing environment since President Samia came into office, seeing 68 contentious trade barriers in place, where in visits to Kenya and then Uganda, the bulk of the barriers, 54 of them were cleared. The remaining 14 needed closer consultations to be solved.
The manager said that apart from being environment friendly, the fertilizer type enriches the soil and preserves moisture in the plant stem, cutting production costs for the farmer and thus enhancing productivity.
Addressing agricultural input agents in the region at the launch of the organic fertilizer, he said the fertilizer will be sold at affordable prices. Agents present were drawn from Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Manyara and Tanga regions. SBL Plus is currently available in TFC centres where a 25 kilogram bag is sold at 30,000/-, he said.
Despite the fact that the government is distributing subsidized fertiliser, releasing the new organic fertilizer would allow farmers to decide on the type they wish to use, he said, pointing out that the newly launched fertilizer is not subsidized.
Joel Kariuki, the SBL Manufacturers Ltd director, said that trade barriers were undermining business growth between the two countries, noting that the company is hopeful to be of help to Tanzanian farmers by selling the fertilizer at affordable prices, which cuts production costs.
Humphrey Msuya, secretary for the association of agricultural input agents in the region, said the fertilizer will help tame problems facing farmers across the country.
“Farmers have for a long period complained over chemical fertilizers; SBL Plus is their solution as it aims to enhance productivity and farmers’ earnings through improved agriculture,” he said.
There are concerns that chemical fertilizers damage the soil, he stated, asking farmers to shift to organic fertilizer. Farmers in Arusha and Manyara regions have been reluctant to use chemical fertilizers, he said, citing the soil damage fears.
The newly launched organic fertilizer will increase farmer’s yields irrespective of the type of crops thus enhancing their incomes, he added.
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