TFRA Works To Curtail Smuggling Of Subsidized Fertilizers Outside The Country -

By Renatha
Msungu, Mbeya

THE Tanzania Fertilizer Regulatory Authority (TFRA)
has urged the Authority’s executives to work professional and in sync with the
local government authorities to plug any loop holes for smuggling of the subsidized fertilizers outside the country.

The directives came at a wake of reported incidents
of illegal transportation of the vital agro inputs from outside the
country, especially within the regions
bordering neighboring countries.

The useful directive has been given by Dr Anthony
Diallo, the Chairman of the TFRA’s Board of Directors.

He was speaking during a special forum to discuss
over progression in the running of the subsidized fertilizer scheme across the
country.

The event convened in Mbeya Region, attracted the
TFRA’s officials and executives, the
stakeholders in the fertilizer sector as well as the registered agents.

He said sabotaging of the subsidized fertilizers was
thwarting the much needed vision by the sixth phase government to ensure the
agriculture sector is contributing highly onto the country’s economy.

He insisted that the fertilizers are supposed to
reach the intended farmers on proper time to enable them cultivating the
various crops and attain deserved productivity.

“The government decided to subsidize fertilizer
in order to allow, and make it easier for all farmers, especially those based
in the country’s interior wards to access the input at affordable prices,”
he insisted.

He also spoke over the need to ensure for the accord
data on the actual number of the farmers, from wards and districts levels, who
are in need of the subsidized fertilizers.

He added, in some cases, there has been a difference
in the statistics given over the number of the farmers to benefit from the subsidized fertilizers among the fertilizer’s agents and the local government
officials.

Together with that, Dr Diallo urged for fruitful utilization of the soil testing kits that have been rolled out by the
government in order to assist the farmers to stand a professional side to apply
the proper fertilizers that suits the types of soils in their respective
cultivating areas.

Mbeya Regional Commissioner (RC), Juma Homera
sensitized the farmers in the region, and the country in large, to register
themselves in order to benefit accordingly from the subsidized fertilizers
scheme.