East African Business Week (Kampala)
24 October 2009
Dar Es Salaam — Tanzania Gatsby Trust (TGT) has launched a special programme which is set to increase the cotton production capacity to 1,500,000 bales by the year 2015 from the currently 700,000 bales.
In order to implement the cotton and textile development programme, TGT has set aside US $7.2 million for the period 2008 to 2010, a move which will ensure they meet the target if the project succeeds.
Speaking to East African Business Week in Dar es Salaam last week, the Programme's Project Coordinator, Mr. Donald Sayi said that the programme will also aim to increase productivity from the 750 kilograms per hectare to 1,500 by 2015.
"The goals set in this programmes are ambitious but achievable. We set to increase the proportion of lint consumed in the domestic textile industry from 30 percent to 90 percent by 2015," said Mr Sayi.
Mr Sayi added that a part of implementing programme which is fully funded by TGT intends to help farmers get reliable and sustainable extension services, input and credit so that they can maximize productivity.
He further added that the funds also will be used to support cotton production through research, extension and demonstration farms as well as improvement and coordination of activities.
In order to ensure the success of the programme, the trust has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Universities of Dar es Salaam and Manchester, and the Vocational Education Training Authority to train more experts.
TGT Chief Executive Officer, Ms Olive Luena said that the introduction of labour saving technologies is advocated by the programme to ensure timely planting, weeding and pest control.
"These technologies must apply for food crops as well as cotton because farmers spend their labour on food crops before cotto," said Luena.
Ms Luena added that one of the programme objectives is to increase cotton productivity and production in the western Tanzania cotton growing areas like Mara, Mwanza, Shinyanga, Tabora, Singida, Kigoma and Kagera.
According to TGT other areas are of focus are in the eastern part of the country including Morogoro, Iringa, Manyara, Pwani and Kilimanjaro.
"In order to achieve this objective, a number of efforts are needed. Such efforts involve doing research and disseminating appropriate production technologies to farmers in order to overcome production constraints," she said.
TGT has already allocated about US $140,465 to Ukiriguru Agricultural Research Institute for the years 2008/09 to do research on cotton production improvement through the utilization of molecular marker studies.
The institute will use the fund to do research through Integrated Pest Management (IPM), field management, demonstration of oil moisture and nutrient enhancement through conservation agriculture.
Ilonga Agriculture Research Institute is also a beneficiary of the allocated fund with a total of Tsh18.9 million (about US $14,651) issued to implement different research activities.
IIonga will do research on the introduction and popularization of draft animal power technologies in cotton based farming systems in eastern cotton growing areas of Tanzania (ECGA). It will also use the funds to train extension workers in IPM practices for cotton in ECGA and carry out demonstrations on improved cotton production technologies in the eastern cotton production areas in the country.
The Tanzania Cotton and Textile Development Programme was formulated in early 2007, following discussions between Lord David Sainsbury, settler of the United Kingdom Gatsby Charitable Foundation, the sitting Minister for Finance Mr. Basil Mramba and Juma Ngwasongwa, sitting Minister for Planning, Economy and Empowerment.
A study was then sponsored by the Tanzania Gatsby Trust, to identify constraints and opportunities facing the cotton industry and proposed development strategies were presented and endorsed by stakeholders in a meeting held in November 2007.
According to Minister for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Stephen Wassira, the programme is also guided by the government's vision 2025 and the SMEs policy, whose goal is poverty eradication and sustainable development.
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