TARI Makutupora Launches Robust Project To Shape Vine Farmers In Dodoma region -

By VALENTINE OFORO

THE Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute ( TARI) is implementing a robust program to impart the grapes farmers in Dodoma region with the recommended agronomic practices for the professional production of the economic cash crop.

Rolled out by TARI Makutupora Center, the on-going practical and theoretical training program focuses to capacitate the vine growers in several areas, with an eye to help heightening their production and productivity.

The knowledge being disserminated throughout the initiative include how to prepare improved grapes seedlings in nurseries, how to prepare grapevines, planting of grape seedlings (planting space), fertilisation of grapes, irrigation, as well as management of diseases and proper use of pesticides.

Speaking over the weekend when conducting the training towards the farmers in Bahi district, Dr Lameck Nyaligwa, the Senior Plant Breeder at TARI Makutupora Center said the focus was to train the farmers in all areas where the prestigious crop flourishes.

He said so far, the project has already reached out to farmers in at least six different wards, and efforts are being piled- up to extend the knowledge to the rest part of the region with active grapes activities.

“This majors to assist the grapes farmers to embrace needed agronomic practices in order to overcome all challenges they’re facing and thus, starting to realise better yield,” he observed.

In Bahi district, the helpful training was conducted in Mtitaa ward, attracting many farmers in the sector from other areas of the district, including Ibugure and Chibelela wards where grapes are grown in larger scale.

Speaking after being trained, Blandina Jarome, a grape farmer from Mtitaa village expressed to have received vital knowledge which will help to improve her growing performance.

“For years, we have been striving to cultivate grapes but the harvest have always been low due to several challenges, through this training have learned a number of useful things that will now enable me to limit the challenges in my plantation in order to yield bumper,” she said.

The other beneficiary farmers, Elias Thomasi, said the traing has imparted him with vital awareness over proper use of pesticides.

“We have been used to procure the pesticides which are not reflecting collocating the diseases and the pests in our plantations, but this training has done a lot in training us over proper use of pesticides, ” he unveiled.

The agricultural officer for Bahi district, Yusufu Shabani underscored the need for the agricultural pundits from TARI Makutupora to regularly conduct the similar training towards the farmers in the district.

He observed that the crop was flourishes well in the district but the farmers were failing to benefiting from the endowment due to several challenges, due to poor agronomic knowledge in cultivating the crop.

The Makutupora center has been designated to undertake grapes research as well as assisting the farmers to adopt best agronomic practices in cultivating the prestigious economic cash crop.

Principally, growing grapes is very sensitive hence involving farmers are required to receive enough knowledge and techniques in order to harvest bumper.

For instance, growing grapes requires systematic and professional treatment throughout all stages till harvesting, whereby at the farm, grapes are required to be planted in special trenches, each hectare comprises 20 trenches, under a special dimension of 2.5 meters from one trenches to another. And each trench consumes at least 1 lorry (5tons) of fertilizer.

Fungus, powdery mildew and downy mildew stands among the common diseases that often upsetting the farmers from realising good harvest.

In ensuring the strategic crop is being produced efficiently, TARI Makutupora has so far introduced at least 25 varieties for dry, table and wine grapes.

Research proved that Tanzania has potential weather to produce grapes with high sugar contents, which is useful in processing wines of high alcoholic percent (from 12 to 14 percent), more than the rest counties in the world where the crop is grown.