Africa-Press – Tanzania. FARMERS can benefit directly from the 150bn/- budget allocation for fertiliser subsidy by registering with their respective local government.
Fertiliser Quality Control Officer from Tanzania Fertiliser Regulatory Authority (TFRA), Mr Steven Gossi, informed that the registered farmers get identification numbers to access the subsidised fertilisers.
Mr Gossi made the clarification at the ongoing Nane Nane farmers’ exhibition at Nzuguni grounds on the outskirts of Dodoma city.
He said the government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, has allocated a huge budget with the aim of ensuring that the agriculture sector makes a significant contribution to the national economy.
“The exercise of registration of farmers in order to get subsidised fertilisers will start soon, and it is good that the farmers register to access such farm inputs,” he expressed.
The subsidy is in line with the government initiative to transform the agricultural sector, whereby in the current financial year, 150bn/- has been allocated for fertiliser subsidy to realise the plan.
He noted that in order to ensure that the subsidised fertilisers reach the farmers; the government has prepared a special digital system for the exercise.
He said the designated system will oversee the implementation of the plan, starting from registration of members, including importers, producers of fertilizers, traders and dealers who sell fertilizers to farmers.
Through the system, he said, the government will monitor and coordinate every step, starting from importation, distribution and sale of the subsidized fertilizer.
Also, he added, the system could oversee the sale of fertilizers to farmers and the payment of fertilizer subsidies.
He said in many regions, the use of fertilisers is low or moderate, mentioning the leading regions for the use of fertilisers as Ruvuma, Mbeya, Songwe, Iringa, Njombe and Rukwa.
He expressed that NFRA will cooperate with the local government to ensure that farmers get the right education on the use of fertilisers and that traders sell quality fertilisers so that they can be used in the production of crops.
“We are conducting an inspection at fertiliser shops to check if they have licenses and whether the fertiliser sellers have been trained by NFRA as well as if the storage of fertilisers is done according to the required quality,” he said.
He added: “If we find them violating the regulations, they would be subject to punishment or fine,” he said.
Mr Gossi expressed that the motive behind the exercise is to ensure that farmers get quality fertiliser to increase their yields.
“Farmers also need to know what type of fertiliser they need to use and how much, how to use and on what crop,” he said.
He advised that before using any fertiliser, the farmer should know the health and nutrients in the soil.
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