Posted on February, 4, 2019 at 08:44 am
PETRABENA East Africa Ltd has commended an agreement signed between Yara Tanzania, Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank (TADB) and Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute Uyole (Tari Uyole) on soil testing, saying the decision will improve crop yield.
Addressing a press conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday, the company’s managing director, Mr Peter Kumalilwa, said his firm was well-prepared to ensure timely supply of fertilisers to farmers.
“This agreement will make sense if farmers will be trained to understand soil health and understand what kind of crops they should cultivate and what kind of fertiliser and the amount they should apply,” he said.
Mr Kumalilwa added that by so doing a farmer would be in a better position to increase crop yield and be aware of the importance of testing soil quality. “This move is crucial because it will simplify our task of supplying fertilisers as farmers will be specific on what kind of fertiliser they need,” he noted.
He said his company had organised training in Morogoro Region on good practices in applying fertilisers and so the agreement was crucial as it came at a moment it was needed. “Our objective as the main suppliers of Yara Tanzania fertiliser is to set up a centre that will train farmers in modern farming and modern ways of preserving and using fertilisers,” he said.
He added that the company had managed to supply the fertiliser on time in Morogoro and Tabora regions put an end to complaints from farmers, adding that the company would keep it going. Mr Kumalilwa thanked the fifth phase government under the leadership of President John Magufuli for collaboration with the private sector in improving agricultural activities in the country.
The Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (Sagcot) officer responsible for Environment and Sustainable Agriculture, Mr John Banga, said the agreement would practically implement the second phase of Agriculture Sector Development Programme (ASDP 11) leading to agricultural revolution.
Tari Uyole Director, Dr Tulole Bucheyeki, reiterated that agreements would go a long way in addressing challenges faced by farmers in the country and increase efficiency in the agricultural sector.
“Normally, soil needs a pH of from 6.5 to 7, but in many areas of the Northern Highlands the content has gone down to pH 4.2 up to 5.3. This situation leads to poor production. Therefore, this agreement will boost production,” he said.
Source: Daily News