Posted on April, 29, 2019 at 10:57 am
BUMPER harvest of food is expected in this forthcoming farming season in Rukwa, thanks to normal and above normal rains during March – April - May season in many parts of the region.
The Rukwa Regional Commissioner (RC), Mr Joachim Wangabo, told the ‘Sunday News’ in a phone interview recently that the good news is that farmers have started harvesting beans.
Mr Wangabo further said that during the forthcoming harvesting season, farmers in the region are expecting to realize a bumper surplus of 899,731.2 tonnes of food crops, out of which they expect to have surplus of 201,185.76 tonnes of maize.
“Food security for the residents in the region is excellent so far and no precinct in the region has reported any food shortage until the period ending Mach this year,” added the RC.
The latest reports available here show that during the 2018/19 farming season, the region targeted to cultivate 599,345.45 ha of both food and cash crops, out of which 517,482.15 ha are for food crops and 81,863.3 ha for cash crops.
“Farmers in the region are expecting to realize 1,817,171.84 tonnes of food and cash crops, of which farmers are expecting to harvest 1,680,701.6 of food crops and 136, 470.25 cash crops during the forthcoming season,” noted the RC.
The actual demand of food for 2018/19 season to feed a population of 1,213,515 (projection of 2019) is 327,649.05 tonnes of food crops.
Meanwhile, Rukwa region in efforts to help farmers in the region to have access to agriculture inputs in time and reliable and competitive markets has established Ufipa Cooperative Union, which is expected to officially open this year .
Mr Wangabo made that revelation while presenting CCM electoral manifestation implementation reports before the CCM Regional Council
meeting held here in the municipality late yesterday.
The meeting was chaired by Rukwa CCM Regional Chairman, Mr Rainer Rakaia. “The process of establishing Ufipa Cooperative Union has completed as the union officially got its registration on January 09, this year, with registration number 5608 and while operational the Union will supervise 23 primary cooperative societies in the region,” added the RC.
In addition to that, the Rukwa Regional Cooperative Registrar, Mr Wallace Kiama told this paper on the sideline of the meeting that until March this year, the region has recorded 197 cooperative societies with 18,868 members, among them 12,272 men and 6,461 female and two institutions.
“Value for shares stands at 816,636,000/- , member’s deposits stand at 2,173,000,000/= …. That loans worth of 15,643,000,000/= have been granted to members, of which 11, 444, 865,000/= worth of loan granted has been paid, which is equivalent to 73.2 per cent” added Mr Kiama.
During the same meeting, Mr Wangabo revealed before the meeting that both livestock keepers and traders have pocketed over 18.9bn/= after selling their animals at early auction markets as well as Kasesya auction market bordering neighbouring Zambia in Kalambo District during the period of July to December last year.
The RC further said that livestock keepers and traders pocketed such amount of money under the period reviewed after selling 32,532 cattle, 2,307 goats and 631 sheep.
Source: Daily News