Farmers told to capitalise on fertiliser subsidy

fertiliser subsidy

TANZANIA Fertilizers Regulatory Authority (TFRA) has assured farmers that there are sufficient fertilizers for the coming farming season asking them to make better use of government subsidies in boosting their harvests.

TFRA’s Executive Director Dr Stephen Ngailo said during a public rally here yesterday the subsidized fertilizers will have their bags marked with a barcode and a specific label to differentiate it from unsubsidized fertilizers.

“Farmers are assured of the availability of the fertilizers, all needed is for them to register themselves in order to get the price that is under government subsidy,” he said at the rally organized by a Member of Parliament for Sumbawanga Urban Constituency, Mr Aeishi Hilaly.

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In 2022/23 the government through the ministry of agriculture has allocated 150bn/- to subsidize fertilizers prices so as to help farmers increase their crop output to have an improved contribution to the economy.

Additionally, Dr Ngailo assured farmers of a timely availability of fertilizers ahead of the coming farming season.

Detailing, Dr Ngailo told the gathering that under the subsidy arrangement a bag of DAP that was sold for 150,000/- now will cost 70,000/- only while that of Urea which used to fetch 140,000/- will cost 70,000/-

Others on the list including CAN that was sold for 120,000/- will now cost 60,000/- whereas SA that used to fetch 80,000/- will now cost 50,000/-

“Under this arrangement the government will pay for 52,000/- subsidy” emphasized Dr Ngailo.

On his part the lawmaker, Mr Hilaly asked farmers through their cooperative unions and their Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Society (Amcos) to ensure they are registered on time to the system so that they cannot miss the fertilizer once the farming season kicks off.

“Farmers must register themselves on time to the system so to get access to the agricultural inputs at affordable price so as to increase their harvests” noted the MP.

Meanwhile Dr Ngailo also said, Tanzania has increased its local capacity of manufacturing fertilizers, a move that assures farmers with ease accessibility of the g input for an improved harvest.

According to him, last year, there were a total of 62,000 tonnes of fertilizers that were manufactured within the country, this year the number will go up.

This year the Minjingu Fertilizer Company will provide 70,000 tonnes to be sold under subsidization arrangement, and they expect to have fertilizer from the Intracom factory being built in Dodoma that will offer over 100,000 tonnes.

As per latest available statistics, the actual demand of fertilizer in Tanzania stands at an average of 700,000 tonnes however in the last farming season the consumption was only 450,000 tonnes.

The fertilizers subsidy arrangement comes after the government raised the budget for agriculture from 250bn/- in the 2021/2022 financial year to 952bn/- this 2022- 2023.

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