Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE Kagera Cooperative Union (KCU 1990 Ltd) has distributed over one million improved coffee seedlings to farmers for the planting season in efforts to increase production of the crop.
KCU Chairman, Mr Ressy Mashulano appealed to the farmers to ad- here to best crop husbandry practices by uprooting and destroying the affected coffee trees. Other best practices
The word clonal means that the coffee plants have been multiplied asexually from a single parent plant or clone. Kagerafarmers produce Robusta coffee which constitutes 30 percent of the total coffee production in the country.
“KCU recently distributed over one million clonal varieties to the farmers free of charge for the planting season. The increase of coffee production in the region has positive impact on farmers’ livelihoods and the national economy,” he said.
He attributed the achievements to the application of good agricultural practices, management of Coffee Wilt Disease (CWD), Leaf Rust and planting of improved clonal coffee varieties.
Mr Mashulano revealed that Kagera region has embarked on the implementation of a five-year plan to increase coffee production.
“During the past three years coffee production in the region increased from metric 52,000 tonnes during 2018/2019 to 78,300 metric tonnes during 2020/2021 enabling the farmers to pocket about 96.4bn/-, he said.
Farmers are encouraged to plant clonal coffee varieties which are resistant to coffee wilt disease (CWD), for increased yields and earn more money,” he said, appealing to the farmers to replace the old coffee trees in favour of the clonal varieties.
However, he appealed for government intervention to enable agricultural extension officers who work as Ward Executive Officers (WEO) to return to their former villages. “We are facing an acute shortage of Agricultural Extension Officers (AEO). KCU recently employed about 40 Extension Officers but the number is not enough,” he said.
The clonal varieties are high-yielding and resistant to the coffee berry disease. A well-managed coffee plant could produce up to two kilograms, enabling a farmer to pocket at least 6,000/- per kilogram. Clonal coffee yields three times more coffee and is resistant to the coffee wilt disease.
The word clonal means that the coffee plants have been multiplied asexually from a single parent plant or clone. Kagera farmers pro- duce Robusta coffee which constitutes 30 percent of the total coffee production in the country.
Coffee is grown in Bukoba, Muleba, Karagwe, Kyerwa, Ngara and Missenyi Districts in the western areas along Lake Victoria. This constitutes about 50 per cent of the total coffee production in Tanzania.
KCU comprised about 134 Agricultural and Marketing Cooperative Societies (AM- COS) with 45,000 members. Out of the number 53 were in Muleba, 27 in Missenyi, 51 in Bukoba Rural while three others are in Bukoba Urban, “he said.
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