Posted on November, 5, 2024 at 07:15 am
Dr Bwana highlighted the significant research efforts undertaken by TARI, which recently led to the release of 16 new improved varieties.
These include six varieties of beans TARIBEAN 6, TARIBEAN 7, TARIBEAN 8, TARIBEAN 9, TARIBEAN 10 and TARIBEAN 11 as well as TARIKA 1 and TARIKA 2 for groundnuts and TARISOR 1 and TARISOR 2 for sorghum.
The workshop provided stakeholders with insights into the newly released varieties, insisting their critical role in driving varietal turnover and adoption.
Moreover, the discussions also focused on identifying key market segments and promising market opportunities, along with strategies for accessing and utilising market intelligence effectively.
One of the participants, Olipa Mahala, a farmer from Chamwino in Dodoma Region, shared her experience of using the improved varieties, saying that her previous reliance on traditional seeds yielded only 4-5 sacks per hectare, whereas the improved variety TARISOR 1 has boosted her harvest to 15-20 sacks per hectare.
Another entrepreneur, Ms Agatha Lazier, a peanut butter processor from Dar es Salaam, urged farmers to seek agricultural expertise from institutions like TARI to enhance productivity.
ALSO READ: Addressing Sorghum seed shortage: TARI and TOSCI empower farmers in Mwanza
“As peanut butter processors, we sometimes incur unnecessary losses because we don’t seek information and guidance. Among the released groundnut varieties, we need to utilise them according to the recommendations from researchers to determine the best variety for processing,” she added.
The workshop brought together researchers, farmers, seed entrepreneurs and peanut butter processors, providing a platform for sharing expertise and experiences along the value chain of the featured crops.
Similar workshops have been organised by TARI in collaboration with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) in Arusha and Dar es Salaam, attracting a total of 224 stakeholders.
Source: Daily News