Africa-Press – Tanzania. FARMERS in Manyara Region have been urged to improve their farming methods and turning their activities into agribusiness.
They are to get their subsistence from farming, but also should use their land for agribusiness to improve the quality of their lives as individuals, as well as lift the nation economically.
Babati District Administrative Secretary (DAS) Halfan Matipula said farmers had to change for better. He was speaking at Endasagu Village where he launched a parcel farming system supported by Crop Bioscience Solution Company Ltd.
He encouraged farmers to desist from practising agriculture in a traditional way.
The new technology includes availability of tractors, growing seeds and using correct varieties of fertilisers depending on soil type. It encompasses the use of modern equipment and technology to improve crop yield.
“We are heading to an industrial economy, so if we do not get strengthened technologically in agriculture it will be useless because agriculture is what produces most raw materials for industries. We should farm for food, but more so for business to get more incomes. Traditional farming using a hand hoe is not doing business,” he warned.
Managing Director of Crop Bioscience Solution Ltd Wilfred Mushobozi said to ensure they reached many farmers, the company had linked up with the World Bank and set up centres in all Northern Zone regions.
The company is eyeing to reach about 5,000 farmers, but in this season, it expects to cover 2,500 growers. He insisted a need to use modern equipment and quality seeds for better results.
“To achieve this, farmers have to form groups,” he said.
