FACTS stand as such that the new varieties of both Arabica and Robusta coffee seedlings invented at the Tanzania Coffee Research Institute (TaCRI) have helped a lot to improve the livelihood of farmers across the country.
Through income generated from higher coffee yields with good quality, farmers across the country have been able to increase their incomes thereby alleviating poverty.
Revealing this was an Economist with TaCRI, Mr Leonard Kiwelu, when having an inclusive interview with 'Sunday News' held at St Gaspar Hotel &Conference Centre in Dodoma recently.
Mr Kiwelu said farmers have increased yields per coffee tree thus realising an increase in total yields in their farms all resulting in more income to them.
Naming these farmers, he named them to be Kadria Khatibu Kimaro, Godfrey Mmasi and Amedeus Munishi all from Kilimanjaro Region.
Giving details on these farmers and how they have realised an increase in yields he said Kadria Khatibu Kimaro from Lukani village in Hai District has planted in his farm a total of 860 new varieties of Arabica coffee seedlings and he is getting a yield of 3 kilogrammes per tree compared to 500 grammes of coffee per tree which he used to get in the past with the conventional coffee trees.
"Godfrey Mmasi from Manushi village in Moshi District started to plant the new varieties of Arabica coffee seedlings in 2012. He currently has 3,008 trees of coffee which give him a production of between 2,200kgs to 3,000kgs of parchment coffee annually.
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Mr Amedeus Munishi, also from Manushi village started planting in his farms the new varieties in 2017 and currently he is getting a production of 500-700 kgs of coffee from 560 trees" he said.
He further named Mr Mika Munya (Arusha), Mr Boniface (Mbulu) and Mr Erasto Ndunguru (Ruvuma) as other farmers who have realised an increase in yields after planting in their farms the new varieties of Arabica coffee seedlings.
Going into details he said Mika Munya with his farm at Mainangu village, Arumeru District has a farm having 1,200 coffee trees where's each tree give him a yield of 1 kg of coffee annually.
"Boniface with his farm at Nahasey village, Mbulu District started planting the new varieties of coffee in 2017. He currently has 2,000 trees giving him an average of 1,500-2,000 kilogrammes of coffee every year while Erasto Ndunguru with his farm in Ndembo village, Mbinga District has a total of 6,800 coffee trees which give him a production of 5-6 tonnes of coffee annually," he said.
Coming to a cross-section of farmers who have changed their lives through planting in their farms the new varieties of Robusta coffee seedlings he named them to be Fidelis Raphael Mbikenga and Edwin Charles Rugaigalila both from Kagera Region.
He said Mbikenga from Magata village in Muleba District has a total of 6,000 of such coffee trees which gives him a production of 18 tonnes of parchment coffee while Rugaigalila with his farm at Mayondwe village in Muleba District has a total of 2,000 of such trees which give him a yield of 2.5 tonnes of coffee each year.
