But the Country Programme Manager of Eastern Africa Grain Council (EAGC), Ikunda Terry said Tanzania has already embarked on a programme to build capacity to farmers to enable high legume production.
He told The Guardian on Sunday that EAGC was providing training to farmers on the best agronomic practices to produce high quantity and quality legumes to meet the Indian market requirement.
“We started the training last month. Currently, farmers in Iringa and Babati Regions have been placed in groups as a part of the training programme,” he said, adding; “they are trained on how to grow legumes but we have started with pigeon peas and green gram”.
He said two cooperative unions including Rift Valley and Gembi Cooperative Unions comprising of 1,000 farmers per group have already been trained in Babati.
EAGC will also indulge in the promotion of support services for farmers by advancing the development of agribusiness services for legume productions.
Indian businessmen had requested Tanzania, Malawi and Kenya to supply it with the agro products including beans, dry beans, horse beans, dry chickpeas, cow peas, dry lentils, lupins, dry peas, pigeon peas, and vetches for human as well as animal feeds, but in vain. Over the past five years, the country’s export of legumes had mainly been dominated by pigeon peas, chickpeas and dried beans.
In 2013 these three top exports represented more than 96 per cent of all Tanzanian legume exports, while also experiencing the growing demand in the export of black mug beans in the same period.
Currently, Tanzania is ranked tenth in the world and Africa’s second to Nigeria in pulse production.
However, the recent EAGC report availed to The Guardian in the midweek revealed low legume production that was attributed to the post harvest losses.
It says farmers receive most of their information about production technique such as soil fertility management practices through family, friends, fellow farmers and very little from extension workers.
Highlighting on the importance of the Indian pulses market, the report indicates that India is the largest producer and consumer of pulses in the world, consuming about 20 million tonnes of legumes annually.
India’s population of 1.2 billion is expected to hit 1.4 billion by 2030, according to the International Institute of Population.
He told The Guardian on Sunday that EAGC was providing training to farmers on the best agronomic practices to produce high quantity and quality legumes to meet the Indian market requirement.
“We started the training last month. Currently, farmers in Iringa and Babati Regions have been placed in groups as a part of the training programme,” he said, adding; “they are trained on how to grow legumes but we have started with pigeon peas and green gram”.
He said two cooperative unions including Rift Valley and Gembi Cooperative Unions comprising of 1,000 farmers per group have already been trained in Babati.
EAGC will also indulge in the promotion of support services for farmers by advancing the development of agribusiness services for legume productions.
Indian businessmen had requested Tanzania, Malawi and Kenya to supply it with the agro products including beans, dry beans, horse beans, dry chickpeas, cow peas, dry lentils, lupins, dry peas, pigeon peas, and vetches for human as well as animal feeds, but in vain. Over the past five years, the country’s export of legumes had mainly been dominated by pigeon peas, chickpeas and dried beans.
In 2013 these three top exports represented more than 96 per cent of all Tanzanian legume exports, while also experiencing the growing demand in the export of black mug beans in the same period.
Currently, Tanzania is ranked tenth in the world and Africa’s second to Nigeria in pulse production.
However, the recent EAGC report availed to The Guardian in the midweek revealed low legume production that was attributed to the post harvest losses.
It says farmers receive most of their information about production technique such as soil fertility management practices through family, friends, fellow farmers and very little from extension workers.
Highlighting on the importance of the Indian pulses market, the report indicates that India is the largest producer and consumer of pulses in the world, consuming about 20 million tonnes of legumes annually.
India’s population of 1.2 billion is expected to hit 1.4 billion by 2030, according to the International Institute of Population.
SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
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