TANZANIA – The Tanzanian Cereal and Other Produce Board (CPB) plans to purchase and process 20,000 tonnes of rice from farmers in the upcoming 2023/2024 rice season, in a bid to generate domestic and foreign income.
Ally Mango, the board’s marketing manager who revealed the plan said that the announced volume is 14,500 tonnes higher than the stock of 5,500 tons purchased the previous season, a fourfold rise.
According to the official, this objective, if achieved, should enable the CPB to draw nearly 26 billion shillings (US$11.1 million) in revenue from its cereal sales
Under the Act of its establishment, the CPB is mandated to facilitate trade promotion and development of cereals and other agricultural products with quality that sustains profitability to the entire value chain to ultimately contribute to the growth of the subsector and improved livelihood amongst Tanzanians.
Mr. Kalimenze, the CPB acting Lake Zone manager cited rice as a strategic crop in the Lake zone, whereby they buy paddy from farmers, process it, and sell it to citizens at affordable prices.
With a capacity of processing 96 tonnes of paddy per day, the processed product is also exported to neighboring countries like Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and South Sudan.
Moreover, these optimistic forecasts are based in particular on growth prospects for the local cereal supply.
According to data from the United States Department of Agriculture, the paddy crop is expected to rise by 9% to 3.6 million tons in the country in 2023/2024.
In addition, the board recently announced plans to recruit private buyers at the grassroots level in a bid to enhance market access for farmers following the anticipated bumper production for cereals and other crops in the country
In addition, the board also revealed plans to buy 1,000 tonnes of beans and green beans to enable citizens to get food with a variety of nutrients.
Farmers to get relief over destroyed crops
Meanwhile, farmers in Tanzania are set to farm with greater confidence following the introduction of a new insurance cover dubbed Africaconnect.
Offered through a new technology project, Africaconnect was launched in 2022 and rice farmers are among the 83,000 enrolled so far.
The new crop insurance is set to cover thousands of farmers in the country from losses caused by various natural disasters and would be provided via the signature digital platform
The cover is under Yara Tanzania Company which apart from providing insurance cover, the enrolled members are set to access funding, high-quality and dependable fertilizer, extension services as well as a ready market for their produce
“Offering crop insurance to farmers across the country is a huge milestone for us at Yara as we seek to empower hard-working farmers to secure livelihoods and food security,” said Winstone Odhiambo, Yara Tanzania Managing Director
Mr. Winstone Odhiambo, Yara Tanzania Managing Director said that the platform will target over 300,000 farmers in 2023 with its unique partnership that provides a one-stop solution to farmers’ critical needs.
“We are happy to also announce today that other than rice growers, in 2023 Africaconnect will enlist maize, coffee, potatoes, and sunflower growers. We urge all targeted farmers to enroll and benefit from the wide variety of services offered,” he added.
Other Africaconnect partners are Equity Bank, Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Seed Agency (ASA), and Murzah Wilmar Rice Millers Limited.
For all the latest food industry news from Africa and the World, subscribe to our NEWSLETTER, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel
