A total of 229,000 customers are being served by cooperative societies in Mbeya Region with the aim of increasing their incomes from various opportunities including market management of their crops.
This was revealed here yesterday by the Assistant Registrar of Cooperatives in Mbeya Region, Angela Maganga when she spoke to this paper in her office on situation of cooperatives in the region.
She said Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Societies(AMCOS)which have been supervising crops like cocoa, tobacco and coffee have had great contribution in the management of reliable markets for farmers thereby enhancing farmers’ economic development.
Citing cocoa as an example Angela said the price of the crop has risen from 1,000/- to 5,000/- per kilo now due to many farmers adopting the habit of selling the crop to the cooperatives.
“Up to December 2019 farmers were able to sell their cocoa to their cooperatives and earned 59.8bn/- hence many middlemen started abandoning the business as they were considered to be detrimental,” she said.
In regard to tobacco she said up to now there are 17 cooperatives and on the last season a total of 11 million kilos was sold through these cooperatives and farmers earned a total of 49bn/.
She said Mbeya Region has a total of 212 Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies (SACCOS) that have shares valued at 16bn/-, 19bn/- in savings and 5bn/- in securities.
Angelo said loans dispensed by the SACCOS totaled 64bn/- out of which 40bn/- has been repaid.
She said her office has initiated discussions with Tanzania Agricultural bank to assist farmers to access low interest loans.
