Posted on July, 30, 2019 at 11:04 am
TANZANIA has produced a surplus food of 2,565,774 metric tonness of total food crops production for 2019/2020 consumption year of which 253,790 metric tonness include cereals and 2,311,984 metric tons are non-cereals.
The country’s food requirement for the 2019/2020 consumption year is 13,842,536 metric tons of which 8,754,119 metric tonness are cereals and 5,088,417 metric tonnes are non-cereals, according the June national food security bulletin issued by the Ministry of Agriculture.
Nationally, food crops production in the just ended 2018/2019 cultivation season reached 16,408,309 metric tons where 9,007,909 metric tons are cereals and 7,400,400 metric tons are non-cereals.
Following the good harvests, prices of major food stuffs such as rice, beans and maize has remained average in almost all the regions in June whereby Lindi, Arusha, Moshi and Songea had the highest prices of rice ranging from 1, 800/- to 1,944/- per kilogram while Kigoma, Shinyanga and Iringa had the lowest market prices of between 1,250/- and 1,350/- per kg.
According to the bulletin, Moshi, Lindi, Kinondoni and Tanga recorded above average maize prices while Iringa, Mbeya Songea and Njombe had below average maize prices. The lowest maize price were observed in the Njombe market where kilogram of maize was sold at 420/, in Songea the price was between 447/- and 480/- per kg,
In Iringa region beans was sold at between 450/- per kg and Mbeya 450/- per kg while in Mbeya, Shinyanga, Ilala and Tanga markets the price was a little bit high whereas a kilogram of beans was sold between 1, 844/- and 1,900/-.
Sumbawanga, Kigoma and Bukoba sold beans at prices ranging from 1, 236/-, 1,266/- to 1,267/- per kg.
In Lindi, Mtwara, and Bukoba sorghum was sold at prices ranging from 1,127/- to 1,450 per kg while the markets in Kibaigwa, Arusha, Shinyanga and Dodoma sold sorghum at between 327/- and 500/- per kg.
The prices of round potatoes also varied from one market to the other whereby, Mtwara, Lindi, Musoma, Dodoma and Kigoma had the highest prices of round potatoes, ranging from 860/- to 1,150/- per kg while Morogoro, Mbeya, Bukoba and Njombe markets had the lowest prices ranging from 440/- to 585/- per kg.
However, the government through the National Seed Committee (NSC) has approved crop varieties to be used by framers in the 2019 farming season. The 13 new crop varieties approved by NSC have been recommended by the National Variety Release Committee (NVRC) for utilization and adoption. Out of the 13 seed varieties, 9 varieties are maize, 3 soybeans and 1 type of tobacco.
The crop varieties have been released and approved after extensive research with superior characteristics such as high yield, disease and insect pest resistance and early maturity. The seeds have been researched by public and private research centers in the country with the aim of increasing production and productivity of the respective crops while improving food security and increasing farmers’ income.
However, the Agricultural Seed Agency (ASA) and other seed companies are expected to start production of hybrid seeds in the 2019/2020 season.
The research institutions and companies that participated in the research of seed varieties are Ilonga Research Institute, East African Seed Company, Alssem Seed Company, Sygenta Company, Seedco (T) Ltd and Tobacco Research Institute Tanzania (TORITA).
Source: IPP Media