By Katare Mbashiru
Dodoma — THE Agricultural Seed Agency (ASA) produced a total of 9,303 tonnes of seeds for various strategic crops during the 2024/25 season, agency’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Leo Mavika, has said.
This, according to the CEO, is an increase of about 106.27 per cent compared to the kernels produced by the agency during the 2023/24 season, which stood at 4,510 tonnes.
The impressive increase in seed production tonnes is attributed to a brave decision by the state-owned seed agency to adopt the use of contract growers.
Mr Mavika unveiled the improvement over the weekend in Dodoma Capital City.
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He was speaking at a specially organised forum which attracted the contract growers, agro-dealers, financial institutions, Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Societies (AMCOS), as well as the Tanzania Fertiliser Company (TFC).
“The contract growers have to a greater extent boosted ASA’s seed producing capacity and we’re looking forward to keep on heightening performance of the side in the future,” he briefed.
Mr Mavika expressed that so far, the agency has inked contracts with a total of 102 growers who are producing at different seed estates across the country.
In the next seed producing season of 2025/26, Mr Mavika communicated that ASA is envisioned to produce a total of 22,344 tonnes of kernels.
“The actual seed demand in Tanzania currently stands at 127,650 tonnes per year, whereby seed adequacy in the country is at 70,000 tonnes,” he detailed.
With ASA expecting to inject a total of 9,303 tonnes in concerted efforts to quench a seed thirst of a total of 127,650 tonnes in Tanzania’s agriculture sector, Mr Mavika said the remaining tonnages will come from the private sector.
With its headquarters based in Morogoro, he said ASA owns a total of 17,000 hectares of land for the production of kernels, saying however, only 13,600 hectares are suitable for the purpose.
“We’re trying to make a sober utilisation of the land we have to ensure professional mass production of seed,” he observed.
Concerning severe effects of climate change which is reportedly to have affected the agriculture sector in many perspectives, Mr Mavika said the agency has worked to invest into irrigation schemes at most of its seed estates.
“For example, we have managed to install modern irrigation infrastructures at some of our seed farms, including Kilimi, Arusha and Msimba, whereby plans are afoot to embark on the similar projects at Namtumbo, Mbozi and Mwele farms,” he informed.
He expressed that, through the development, the agency is managing to cheat negative impacts of climate change by producing the kernels twice a year, during rainy and drought seasons.
“For instance, in the 2025/26 season, a total of over 552 tonnes of seeds will be produced during drought seasons through irrigation,” he said.
To further improve the sector, he said, ASA was engaging financial institutions with an eye to ensure the contract growers are provided with vital access to the much-needed capital to help maximise their production, producing as well as complying to the set standards.
“It is for this reason this forum features diverse financial institutions for the purpose to link them with the contract growers to chart on viable ways and friendly modalities to acquire capital,” he insisted.
During the workshop, ASA’s Acting Production Manager, Mr Benjamin Mfupe tipped the farmers on recommended practices for the production of improved seeds.
Read the original article on Daily News.
