Farmers: We are considering stopping cotton production

The Lake zone is currently formed by regions like Geita, Simiu, Shinyanga, Mara, Mwanza and Kagera. Geita and Simiu are the newly formed regions.

Speaking a bit emotionally to OFAB and COSTECH Scientists who are currently visiting the smallholder farmers of Salama and Ngh’aya in Magu Mwanza region, the farmers said if the government will not take rigorous measures to rescue the crop, they will soon stop producing cotton all together.

“We have been toiling and spending a lot of money to cultivate the crop, from farm preparation to harvesting and storing, but what we get after selling the crop has been very little and discouraging,” laments one of the farmers.

The Chairperson of the Sub-village at Salama village in Magu District, Mwanza region Kahabi Mahushi told The Guardian that the foremost reason holding the farmers back is lack of proper education on application of modern farming methods.

He said because of ignorance, most farmers are not applying modern farming methods in preparing their fields, planting, harvesting and stocking their crop before ferrying them to the market.

“There are no agricultural extension officers who come to visit and educate us on how to engage in productive farming,” he noted.

As a result, he said that smallholder farmers do not know how to buy quality and improved seeds that could eventually give them robust production.
Another smallholder farmer, William Pastory said they have been buying seeds from private seed agents at very high prices.
For example, he said 6 kgs of cotton seeds could be sold up to 20,000/-.

He said farmers spend up to 700,000/- and 1,000,000/- to prepare their cotton fields and buying farm inputs like seeds, fertilizers and insecticides.
“But when a farmer sells the produce they only get1,100,000/-....this low price for cotton is very discouraging,” he said.

“We farmers are denied our right because the price set by our government and other stakeholders in the sector is very low,” he added.
Esta Sangalani also concurred with her fellow farmers that despite the tiresome work they are enduring, the price set for cotton by the respective bodies is in her words ‘seriously hurting them.’

Yet another farmer Bukenyenge Bukwimba admits; “we have been getting low production from cotton because we engage in cultivating the crop blindly. We don’t have proper education that would make us produce abundantly and crops of high quality too.”

Yet another farmer, Musa Abel also admits; “we plant seeds without proper agricultural methods unlike previous times when agricultural extension officers were readily available to give us advice, these days they are hardly seen.”

According to him, extension officers and officials from the Tanzania Cotton Board, only visit them during harvesting seasons.

Citing, drought issues, Abel called upon the government to introduce irrigation farming that will help them farm sustainably throughout the year.
On his part, Zephrin Karuki urged the government to give them loans for agricultural inputs while Aron Makenja urged the government to ensure the seeds and insecticides agents are licensed to ensure they sell genuine products to the farmers.

Meanwhile, smallholder farmers from Ngh’aya village which is 5 kms from Salama village also shared similar sentiments.

Juma Lutobeka said cotton cultivation is causing them a lot of headaches; “because the seeds are not good and cannot give high yields. They rot in the farms,” he said.

As for pesticides, he said apart from not killing pests, the pesticides are not brought to the farmers in time. “They send pesticides when the pests have already destroyed the plants,” he said.

“In recent days, there has been an increase of pests in our farms and even if a farmer sprays his fields six times, the pests survive. It seems these pesticides are not genuine,” he added.

“We call on the government to re-introduce the thiodan insecticide, which was widely used by cotton farmers in the 70s and 80s. It was very effective,” he said.

Sylvester Upepo said if the government wants to address poverty alleviation among smallholder farmers and improve their living standard, it should provide them with modern farming equipment.

Reacting to the smallholder farmers’ concerns, the representative of the Director General for the Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH), Dr Nicholaus Nyange acknowledged their plight.

He however told farmers that the government through Costech has been working tirelessly to educate farmers to adopt modern farming that will enable them get high yields.

Dr Nyange said Tanzanian scientists are still working to introduce Bt technology. Bacillus thuringiensis (or Bt) is a Gram-positive, soil-dwelling bacterium, commonly used as a biological pesticide that Dr Nyange said will address the various problems facing cotton farmers.

Summing up, Principal Research Scientist with the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology Tanzania (OFAB)-Tanzania, Dr Emmaroad Mneney said; “the government is carrying out researches to come up with improved seeds that are resistant to drought, pests and diseases.”