Cotton Victoria Project Fetches Fruitful Results

The Director of the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI), Dr. Geofrey Mkamilo tests one of the farming machinery that has been donated by the Government of Brazil to the TARI Ukiriguru Centre. 

Ambassador of Brazil to Tanzania, Gustavo Martins Nogueira during an event to handover the 700m/- worth of farm implements to TARI Ukiriguru Center in Mwanza, to support rolling out of the Victoria Cotton Project. 

                                             

COTTON stands among the strategic economic cash crop in Tanzania, currently attracting a total of 500,000 who are cultivating at least 1,000,000 acres in different regions across the country, including Geita, Tabora, Katavi, Shinyang and Mwanza to mention but a few.

Despite being endowed with the friendly agriecological zones to support cotton farming and fibre production, cotton production and productivity in Tanzania has been crippled with numerous setbacks in recent years, such as poor agronomic practices, pests and diseases, low quality seeds and lack of access to markets.

To that end, the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) in its Mwanza-based Ukiriguru Centre, through the financial and technical cooperation from the Government of Brazil, decided to cottoning up initiatives meant to heighten performance of the vital sector.

Cotton Victoria Project (CVP) is a brainchild of the partnership between TARI –Ukiriguru and Brazil, and since its inception during the 2016/17 growing season, the 5,802,019.08 USD worth initiative has been rolling out useful training, technical assistance and demonstration plots to thousands of cotton farmers who have been working hard to improve their crop management and increase their yield.

And, in implementing the robust project, several stakeholders in the cotton value chain from within and outside the country are bridging up efforts.

These include the Ministry of Agriculture of Tanzania, the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC), the Brazilian Cotton Institute (IBA), the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), and the Tanzania Cotton Board (TCB).

Recently, TARI Ukiriguru, conducted a weeklong visit of the project’s beneficiaries farmers in several Regions, the event which served as the ‘Cotton Technologies Farmers Field Day’ (CTFFD).

During the week’s series of on-the plantation events, the beneficiary fibre growers had a lot to testify and portray in regard to how best the Cotton Victoria Project has come to their rescue.

Dr. Paul Saidia, the Director of TARI Ukiriguru Centre, said among others, the project has introduced to the farmers new planting space of 60 centimeters from row to row , and 30 centimeters from hole to hole, bringing the number of the cotton plants to 44,444 per acre from the formal 22,222 plants.

“With the new planting space,” he said, “The farmers have successfully managed to increase production and productivity in their plantations,”

Together with that, the TARI Ukiriguru’s Chief Boss, Dr. Saidia unveiled that the project was looking forward to extending its foothold in further regions, including Kigoma, Singida and Morogoro.

Ngaga Luhemeja, one of the project’s beneficiary farmers in Tabora Region expressed that, with the new planting space system he has managed to improve yield at his plantation from 200kg to 510kg per acre, and he was expecting to fetch more results.

According to the Tabora Regional Agricultural Officer, Saidi Babu, through support from the project, Cotton Victoria Project, most of the farmers are now growing and yielding cotton in impressive tune in the region’s six districts, including Igunga, Nzega, Uyui, Tabora municipal,  Urambo and Kaliuwa.

Recently, the Government of Brazil rolled out diverse farm implements, worth more than 700m/- , to support the TARI Ukiriguru Centre to execute the Cotton Victoria Project (CVP) more efficiently.

According to Ambassador of Brazil to Tanzania, Gustavo Martins Nogueira, the support gears to heighten the quality of the project’s activities, as well as the involved beneficiary farmers.

The Envoy unveiled that the timely initiative focuses to benefit a total of  8,500 cotton smallholder farmers in the districts of Misungwi, Kwimba, and Magu in Mwanza region.

Dr. Geofrey Mkamilo, the Director General (DG) of TARI observed that the Victoria Cotton Project, and Beyond Cotton Project,  all under the financial auspices from Brazil have so far played a great role to heighten the performance of the sector in the country.

Currently, cotton is produced within 17 regions across the country with the production estimated between 122,000 and 370,000 tons annually.

 

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