The government transforms cotton sector

THE Tanzania government in collaboration with a UK based Gatsby Charitable Foundation has initiated a major long term program as a help in order to support the transformation of the Tanzania cotton sector whose growth is declining year after year. Working in partnership with the Tanzania Cotton Board (TCB), the program aims to transform the performance of cotton sector by way of doubling its yields which has been currently produced by about 400,000 cotton farmers in cotton producing regions in the country. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tanzania Gatsby Trust, Ms. Olive Luena said recently in Dar es Salaam that, the program will assist TCB to implement the recently approved regulatory framework for introducing contract farming which will include major policy work on pricing and quality in addition to input finance. According to her, the program will also facilitate universal access to improved cotton seed, encouraging cotton farmers to adopt conservation agriculture and building the capacity sector institutions, in particular.

A woman picks cotton in Meatu district. The move comes as a result of the meeting between the Lord Sainsbury of the UK based Gatsby Charitable firm and Tanzania Minister for Agriculture Hon. Jumanne Maghembe in Mwanza city in May 2011. In their discussion, Lord Sainsbury offered to help the ministry build capacity of the TCB to support sustainable management and development of the sector. The Gatsby Charitable Foundation of UK is funding the strategic review of the TCB which would aim to review the needs of the sector and its stakeholders and its new functions in order to assess the existing capacity of TCB to fulfill the agreed needs. TCB 's mandate as defined by the Cotton Industry Act 2001 is to improve and develop the cotton industry by promoting, facilitating and monitoring the functioning of the entire production, marketing, processing and export chain of cotton sector. Agricultural economists says that, cotton sector in the country is faced with constraints because of increased competition leading to higher farm-gate prices but plummeting investment in productivity. The constraints involves restructuring the industry, improved technologies and farming practices. TCB has since 2008 been promoting the development of contract farming which is organized marketing structure which is expected to regulate transactions, protect contracts, mitigate possible negative farm gate price trends and build trust between stakeholders.