Posted on January, 9, 2017 at 10:23 am
By Louis Kolumbia
Dar es Salaam — Food production may be severely affected this year after half of the major cereal producing regions received below average rains last month just as forecasted by the Tanzania Meteorological Authority (TMA).
The 2014/15 Annual Agricultural Sample Survey report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) end of December last year outlined 14 regions as the major producers of maize, paddy, sorghum and beans--Tanzania's staple foods.
These include Mbeya, Iringa, Ruvuma, Mwanza, Kigoma, Geita, Tabora, Mara, Tanga, Morogoro and Shinyanga, which topped the list of 10 regions that produced high yields during the short and long rainy seasons, according to the report.
According to the report, over 2.7 million tonnes of maize, 794,686 of paddy, 142,083 tonnes of sorghum and 280,017 tonnes of beans were harvested during the short rainy season and 5,017,813 tonnes of maize, 1,671,394 tonnes of paddy were produced during the long rainy season.
While Mbeya, Iringa, Rukwa, Tanga, Manyara, Shinyanga, Ruvuma, Tabora, Katavi and Njombe emerged as the top 10 maize producers, Geita, Mwanza, Tabora, Mbeya, Katavi, Coast, Kilimanjaro, Morogoro and Shinyanga topped the list of high paddy producing regions during the long rainy seasons.
On the other hand, as Mara, Tabora, Simiyu, Mwanza, Geita, Kagera, Kigoma, Coast, Arusha and Dodoma produced higher sorghum yields, Kigoma, Kagera, Geita, Tanga, Kilimanjaro, Mara, Manyara, Arusha, Mwanza and Njombe led as beans producers especially during the short rainy seasons.
But the TMA Rainfall Outlook report for December 2016, named Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Coast, Morogoro, Kilimanjaro, Arusha, Manyara, Kigoma, Katavi, Tabora, Dodoma and Singida as regions that would receive rains below average, with the Lake Victoria regions of Kagera, Geita, Shinyanga, Mwanza, Mara and Simiyu being among those that will receive average rainfall.
Another report by Famine Early Warning Systems Network (Fews Net) released in December last year projected that seasonal rainfall deficits, coupled with erratic rains would reduce cereal yields therefore lowering food availability and on farm labour opportunities.
Few Net--an organ of the United States Agency for International Development (Usaid)--suggests that while the seasonal rains tentatively started in the Lake Victoria regions, relatively extended growing period will cause early season food deficits.
Food shortages reported in Mara Region prompted executives to order over 4,000 tonnes of relief food from the National Food Reserve Authority (NFRA) for Bunda, Musoma Rural, Butiama and Rorya districts.
The same was reported in Kiteto District in Manyara Region where 500 tonnes of cereals has been ordered from NFRA with shocking reports from Kilosa District, Morogoro Region saying about 4,000 livestock died over starvation this month.
The current situation has forced Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa to instruct Ruvuma regional authorities to ensure food reserves in the region were properly managed.
Speaking after receiving the regional development report in Songea from regional commissioner Binilith Mahenge, on Wednesday, Mr Majaliwa said there were every possibility that the country could reach April and May without new harvests, therefore called for prudent use of available food.
"Although regional reports show the region has enough food, we need to better manage the food we have because most regions where farmers had prepared their farms this season haven't sown seeds due rainfall shortage," he said.
He ordered regional executives to educate the public on the importance of cultivating drought-resistant crops soon when rains resume in order to get more yields that would complement the existing deficit.
Source: The Citizen