85% of farmers use certified seed

The senior official of the institutes, Emmanuel Mwakatobe, said it yesterday while speaking at a farmers' seminar organized by the Participatory Ecological Management of Land Use (PELUM -Tanzania).

"Our data shows an increase in the use of certified quality seed by 20 to 85% in 2018. This indicates that our farmers will probably have sufficient yields," Mwakatobe said, attributing the poor harvests He noted that the use of certified seed would, in addition to allowing farmers to reap enough for their families, help boost the country 's agricultural exports, hence the economic growth.

According to Mwakatobe, the country's paddy farmers should now switch from traditional seed to a certified "TXG 306". He said that with the new seeds, farmers can get up to 38 sacks of rice per acre, compared to 5 sacks that they previously received.

Mathias Mtwale is a seed producer in the Dodoma regions, he says that most farmers choose to use poor quality seed because of lack of certified seed on the market. He said that there were few companies in the country engaging in the sale of seeds.

PELUM-Tanzania director Donati Senzia urged farmers to continue to use certified quality seeds to increase productivity in the agricultural sector. educate farmers about the importance of using quality seeds and inform them about the laws and regulations governing seed production in Tanzania.

Senzia stated that the goal was to reach all small holder farmers, as they produced nearly 90% of the country's food.

He said the government was also working on a plan to legally control the importation of seeds into the local market.

The PELUM association is a regional network of more than 220 civil society organizations in 12 countries of East, Central and Southern Africa working in the field of participatory ecological land management.

The Association works to improve the livelihoods of small farmers and the sustainability of farming communities, promoting the ecological management of land use.

The country chapters include Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Botswana, South Africa, Swaziland and the United States. # 39; Ethiopia.