Africa-Press – Tanzania. TANZANIAN Breweries Public Limited Company (TBL) has sponsored about 450 sorghum farmers from Kongwa, Mpwapwa, Chamwino districts in Dodoma to participate in the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) exhibition held in Hombolo, Dodoma over the weekend.
The TARI exhibition brings together agriculture stakeholders to showcase partnerships tailored to develop agriculture in Tanzania and address the challenges that farmers face in the field.
Speaking on behalf of the participating sorghum farmers, Leonard Yeramu, from Kongwa, thanked TBL for enabling them to participate as they have learned various techniques related to sorghum farming.
The sponsored farmers will have the opportunity to learn about farming practices and technologies that will allow them to increase their productivity, and to create and strengthen partnerships with key stakeholders.
TBL Plc has now extended the project to procure sorghum from 4,000 farmers for the 2021 season and had distributed 22 tonnes of the targeted sorghum seeds that were sourced from Namburi Seed Company in Mbeya and TARI in Dodoma. Tanzania’s smallholder farmers are an essential part of TBL Plc’s supply chain.
TBL Plc sources some 74 per cent of its raw materials locally, including around 9,000 tonnes of sorghum for the production of its fast-growing affordable brands Eagle and Bia Bingwa.
In 2020, TBL Plc collaborated with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and Farm to Market Alliance (FtMA) to conduct a pilot project to support 2,000 sorghum farmers in Dodoma with seeds, crop insurance, crop-management protocols, agricultural-extension services, and to ensure improved aggregation and market access.
The company also partnered with TARI to research and develops sorghum seeds that are best suited to the soil and climatic conditions of Tanzania.
These projects proved to be a phenomenal success, with a 70 per cent improvement in sorghum production than in the previous years.
By supporting direct farmers to be skilled, connected and financially empowered, TBL helps them improve their productivity, their profitability, and their efficient use of natural resources.
