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| Minjingu mine | , |
Local farmers who use Minjingu organic fertilizers should expect to
boost their yields because of a new brand for planting and growth which was
introduced in the market last year.
The new product, Minjingu Mazao, has so far been well received by the
market, according to Mr Tosky Hans, CEO of
Minjingu Mines and Fertilizer Limited (MMFL) whose company is the sole producer of organic
fertilizers in the country. He said the new brand has been introduced to cope
with farmers’ demand.
“We shall be able to give more information after this season as the
Agriculture Research Institute is compiling a report on farmers’ reaction to
the product from different parts of the country,” Hans noted.
He said the final report on how farmers have experienced with Minjingu
Mazao during the first planting season, is due next August.
“Once we get the report it should be communicated to you by next
September,” the MMFL chief executive pointed out.
Tanzania Fertilizer Company Limited (TFCL) General Manager, Salum
Mkumba said Minjingu Mazao will likely compete with imported artificial
planting and growing fertilizers such as DAP, NKP and Urea which many local
farmers are used to.
“A major competitor to Minjingu fertilizer is DAP because it’s a
planting fertilizer which many farmers preferred because it has some nitrogen
content which not only helps crops to grow faster but also turn green,” Mr
Mkumba said.
The TFC is one of the largest fertilizer importers and distributors
which is also one of the major agents of Minjingu fertilizers.
“Minjingu Mazao is a new brand which offers nitrogen as well, hence
being at par with DAP in as far as planting fertilizers are concerned,” he
pointed out saying many farmers preferred the imported fertilizer because it
worked more efficiently and faster.
DAP has 46 phosphate which helps plant grow rapidly and 18 per cent
nitrogen which turns them green while the original Minjingu fertilizer had only
30 per cent phosphate.
He pointed out that despite having the new product, the Arusha based
company has not done enough to promote the product which many farmers may opt
to use if research results this season show improvement.
With consumption of
less than 15 kilograms of fertilizer per hectare, Tanzania is far behind the
50kgs per hectare as recommended by the Abuja Declaration over a decade ago.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives targets to
more than double fertilizer use by local farmers come 2015.
Source: The Daily News,www.dailynews.co.tz, reported by Finnigan wa Simbeye
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