TANZANIA Telecommunications Corporation (TTCL) and Tropical Pesticides Research Institute (TPRI) have signed an agreement to launch an innovative digital verification solution of pesticide known as T-Hakiki.
Speaking to reporters in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday TTCL Acting Executive Director, Kezia Katamboi, while signing the agreement, said T- Hakiki will significantly impact digitalization of agriculture and safeguard the lives of many farmers whilst driving financial inclusion efforts in Tanzania.
Elaborating, she said THakiki platform would use technology to realign agriculture in Tanzania by providing accessible, scalable solution for smallholder famers and bundle verification with the inputs farmers already use, in pesticides.
The Acting Executive Director noted that efforts are ongoing to support government efforts on agriculture development, where TTCL Corporation in partnership with Quincewood Group Limited have come up with the solution to farmers known as T-Hakiki services.
“Two-thirds of Tanzanian population work in agriculture, making it the backbone of our economy and with small scale farmers dominating the food production…high demand for pesticides has attracted unscrupulous traders selling counterfeit pesticides. “Counterfeiting in Africa’s agricultural input sector takes multiple forms- from imitation branding and packaging to partially diluted or entirely fake products.
“There have been many incidences of fake/counterfeit pesticides in the country. About 40 per cent of agroinputs (seeds, fertilizers and pesticides) in Tanzania are reported to be counterfeits. (International Journal of Computer Applications: Combating Fake Agro-Inputs Products in Tanzania using Mobile Phones, July 2014),” she said.
On her part, the Director General of TPRI, Dr Margaret Mollel added that the method coupled with other good agronomic practices is expected to increase farmers’ productivity and incomes, adding that it will be a de-risk from fake counterfeit seeds, inputs and fertilizers.
“Our goal is to provide farmers with a choice of reliable, affordable high quality pesticides they can trust through the sale of genuine pesticides using T-Hakiki everification system, farmers’ interests are protected by safeguarding crop yields.
“The sale of counterfeit agricultural inputs has farreaching socio-economic consequences. More and more children will now be able to complete their schooling, because farmers whose sole source of income based on crop yields will be able to pay their children’s school fees,” she said.
However, she added that the farmer will verify pesticide by dialing USSD code *148*52#. “Enter verification serial number, dial ok, then receive the verification notification. T-Hakiki is available to all Mobile Network Operators and the service will be free of charge to farmers,” she said.
In addition, Quincewood’s Director of Business which oversees the digital electronic pesticide system, Fatma Fernandes said that T-Hakiki will revolutionize agriculture sector and improve food security, hence increase incomes of smallholder farmers and reduce the prevalence of counterfeit/adulterated agricultural inputs in Tanzania.
