Author: YASINTA AMOS in Arusha
AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE Tanganyika Farmers Association (TFA) has said improper application of farm inputs by famers normally results into poor harvests and hostile occurrence of weeds in farmers.
To address this, TFA has started offering soil testing services to local farms and growers, in the bid to push the agricultural sector into a safe and environmentally friendly form of crop production.
“We want to take out guess work from farmers, all growers must be assisted to identify the type of soil their lands contain, so that they apply the right fertilisers, proper seeds and when needed, suitable chemicals,” stated the Association’s Board of Directors Chairperson, Peter Sirikwa.
The TFA official explained that so far the association has kick-started the effort in some 250 farms and taking samples for analysis, with the number set to increase as time goes by.
“In the past, farmers used to simply apply all kinds of inputs into the soil without caring whether they were suitable for the particular land or not, and that results into poor harvests, damaged environment and sometimes making the entire farm unusable again,” pointed out Sirikwa.
Mr Sirikwa was speaking during the TFA Annual General Meeting held in Arusha over the weekend, attracting association members from all over the country.
The Deputy Central Bank Governor, Dr Yamungu Kayandabila who graced the TFA meeting, assured members that he would consult relevant authorities in order to address complaints raised on importation of farm inputs.
“I understand that agricultural machinery as well as other farm inputs are charged with foreign currency, thus making the costs to keep fluctuating… we must work to ensure that all transactions are done via Tanzanian currency,” stated Dr Kayandabila.
The TFA has over 5000 members countrywide stationed in more than 17 branches operating in sixteen regions of the mainland.
On his part, the TFA Executive Director, Justin Shirima, said the association intends to establish more branches to reach 20 before the end of this year, especially in the Lake Zone and Southern Highlands.
It was observed during the Annual General Meeting for TFA members, that land tilling and crop production farming directly employs at least 65 per cent of all Tanzanians, while nearly 20 per cent others, and indirectly depend on agricultural activities as their economic mainstay.
During the previous TFAAGM, the association appealed to the government to assist the entity to reclaim back granaries that were dubiously sold away by former officials of the association.
Meanwhile, the Tanganyika Farmers Association (TFA) has already started issuing its members with special electronic Identity Cards (ecards), which are machine readable digital document and come in the size of an ordinary ATM card.
