Zanzibar Sugar Factory (ZSF) has announced plans to support sugarcane farmers in Tanzania. Mr Mahesh Patel, the Chairperson of ZSF said they intend to move farmers from traditional subsistence farming to commercial agriculture so that they could increase production and upturn their income.
He explained that said traditional farming and lack of skills have led many farmers to remain poor despite directing their efforts in sugarcane cultivation. Under the planned programme, the factory will enable the small holder farmers to change their way of farming.
This is meant to support them to uplift production and their income. Farmers will also be provided with knowledge of growing other crops such as vegetables and rice, promising a reliable market as ZSF will buy the produce from farmers and sell to other people.
Survey
Mr Patel noted that support for sugarcane farmers follows a survey in all the three regions that found out that the farmers have failed to increase production and income because of maintaining the old ways of farming, “despite the fact that Zanzibar has enough resources, including good land.” The chairperson said that sugarcane has many benefits, including sugar production and other products such as fertilizers, spirit /alcohol for hospital use, flavors and cosmetics like perfume.
“There is a need for these farmers to be provided with adequate education and standard infrastructure to achieve the goals of the factory and farmers in eradicating poverty in the country,” he said.
The ZSF Sugarcane Farmers’ Empowerment Project Manager, Mr Frank Hubert encouraged farmers to form groups to strengthen cooperation in their cultivation to increase production capacity of sugarcane to meet the growing demand.
“The move to establish agricultural groups will help and provide motivation and awareness among you, particularly in the move towards modern commercial farming by applying modern technology and irrigation,” he advised sugarcane farmers On their part, farmers – Mr Ali Abdalla from Cheju village rice scheme and Mr Mohamed Haji who is also a community leader (Sheha) for Kilombero area expressed their gratitude to ZSF for the good plan to assist and empower farmers to adopt commercial farming.
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