Three out of four Tanzanian households say agriculture is their main economic activity. Even urban households are still involved in crop production. Indeed, agriculture is an important sector for Tanzania contributing up to 26 per cent of GDP.

Typically, farmers produce to feed their families but they also expect to gain revenue by selling their output. When farmers make more income from the sale of their produce this leads to more development in the rural areas, which ultimately impacts positively on the overall economy. This is what has been surmised from the success stories of predominantly agricultural countries such as Malaysia and Vietnam.


In Tanzania, this kind of impact has not yet been felt - at least not on a tangible scale. Agricultural commercialisation remains marginal in the country as shown by the following statistics from 2011:
•     26 per cent of all farmers did not sell any of  their crop and so were not connected to markets.
•     Only 25 per cent of farmers sold more than  half of their production.
•     More than two thirds of maize farmers did not sell any of their harvest and only 25 per cent of total maize production is marketed.
•     Uganda and Kenya have similar statistics.On the other hand, Vietnam moved from 48 per cent of farm produce being marketed in 1993 to 87 per cent in 2008.

The livestock sector is even less commercialised than the crop sector. As many as 52 per cent of all livestock owners did not earn any cash income from keeping animals in 2011. Less than 10 per cent of the overall country livestock value is marketed.


The low rate of commercialization may be explained by many factors such as remoteness, low production, low farm-gate prices, high marketing margins, lack of information, or simply the farmers’ unwillingness to participate in the market.


Indeed, less than a third of Tanzanian villages have a daily or weekly market where farmers get to sell their produce. For the typical farmer, the closest market is 18 kilometres away from the village centre and more often than not there is seldom any road and/or public transportation service to reach that market.
Farm-gate prices received by farmers are a small share of the wholesale price of crops which averaged around 60 per cent and 45 per cent for maize and paddy respectively in 2011.

Shortcomings in agricultural commercialization raise the following questions:
•     Should the government invest more in infrastructure such as roads, village markets,etc., to improve the farmers’ connectivity?
•     Should there be price controls to make ensure farmers receive a minimum price from their produce?
•     Should taxes on agricultural produce be reduced or abolished altogether?
•     Can farmers be directly linked to supermarkets, agribusiness firms and processors bypassing marketing middlemen?
•     Should the emergence and development of contract farming with large farms be encouraged?
•     Will the South Agricultural Corridor Growth of Tanzania (SACGOT) initiative help smallholder farmers increase production and get more cash out of their produce?
•     How can the mobile revolution help improve agricultural commercialization

16 comments:

  1. kaka hongera na tunashukru kwa taarifa za kilimo,mimi ni mjariamali mdogo ambaye mwaka juzi nililima ekari 100 za mahindi na 20 za alizeti huko mkoa wa manyara jirani na vijiji vya emariti,kiukweli kwenye mahindi sikupat vile i was expecting ila alizeti ndo kidogo walau iliweza kurudisha gharma za kukodi shamba,kulima na palizi,na sasa nipo mzumbe University nafanya masters.

    Suala la mgogoro wa wafugaji na wakulima manyara nilinikera na kuniingizia hasara sasa natafuta mashamba yenye rutuba ambayo nawezapata gunia walau 12 kwa ekari moja maeneo ya jirani na dar kama vile morogoro,iringa na pwani ,kama mtafiti,mwanahabari waweza nishauri vipi,

    Leo.

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  2. kwanza nashukuru kwa pongezi zako napili napenda nami nikupongeze kwa uamuzi uliouchukua mwaka juzi na kuamua kulima zaidi ya hekari 100 japo haikukupa faida sana lkn kitendo cha kuamua kulima tu unastahili pongezi

    ni kweli migogoro inasumbua sana wakulima lkn hali hii haitakiwi kutukatisha tamaa kamwe, kuhusu maeneo ya kulima karibu na dsm mi napendekeza zaidi mkoa wa morogoro mi mwenyewe mbali na huku manyara ninampango wa kulima pale mji kasoro bahari. kwa hiyo ntakapokuwa informed vya kutosha ntakujulisha ili naww uweze kutimiza ndoto zako huko,cha msingi ni kuendelea kuwasiliana tu

    karibu shambani solutions

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  3. Habari za kazi wandugu.kaka kuna mtu mwenye kujua upatikanaji wa mbegu za vitunguu viitavyo jambar f1 hybride onions.nitashkuru mkinisaidia.

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    1. Umezipata hizo mbegu rafiki nijulishe na mimi nazitafuta sana nichek 0769317119

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    2. Umezipata hizo mbegu rafiki nijulishe na mimi nazitafuta sana nichek 0769317119

      Delete
  4. Kaka asante sana kwa maelezo yako mazuri ya kilimo mimi ni mjasiramali wa Pembejeo za Kilimo kama mashine za kupiga alizeti,mashine ya kukamua mafuta mbegu aina zote,mashine ya kusafisha mafuta,mchine za kutengeneza chakula cha kuku,machine ya kukoboa kahawa,machine ya kubangua mse machine ya kusaga karamga,pump ya kumwagilia maji shambani,machine ya kukoboa mahindi,mashine ya kupakia packing machine)mashine ya kupukuchua mahindi,machine ya kupulia,machine ya kupiga ngano,mashine ya kuvuna mpunga na ngano,jembe la kuchakatia udongo,machine ya kusafisha na kukoboa karanga....Namba ya cm ni =255653691138/+255755651013

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  5. farmers to sell what they produce is the big challenge most of them they lack makert information about prices and so far

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  6. Hongera kwa kazi nzuri na nzito ya kuikomboa jamii....Mm ni kijana mmojawapo wa wahanga wa janga la ajira hapa nchini,baada ya kusota sana nimeamua kuelekeza nguvu zangu zote kwenye kilimo,nina uwezo wa kupata angalau mashamba yenye ukubwa wa ekari 5-10 ktk maeneo ya Bagamoyo,Moshi na Manyara...Naomba ushauri wako/wenu kuhusu aina ya mazao yenye faida nnayoweza kulima kk maeneo hayo/kipindi/muda wa kulima na je,ninaweza kuanza na ukubwa gani(ekari ngapi) hasa ukizingatia mm ndo kwanza naanza kilimo,nategemea ushauri mzuri kutoka kwako/kwenu...Akhsante

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  7. ANZA KILIMO KWANZA KWA EKARI CHACHE THEN UNAONGEZA

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    1. Pia fikiria kuhamia kwenye kilimo cha umwagiliaji wa matone achana na kilimo cha kusubiri huruma ya mungu (kutegemea mvua). Ukianzisha shamba kitalu mbili zenye ukubwa wa mita 15 urefu na upana wa mita 8 sawa 120 mita za mraba ukawa na mbili. Ambazo gharama ya moja mpaka unakabidhiwa haizidi 6,000,000x2 12,000,000 ambapo hizi zina uhakika wa kukutolea jumla ya tani 50x2 =100 tones za nyanya ambazo hata ukiuza kila kilo kwa Tsh 1,000/= unaweza kuvuna Tsh 100 Million kwa muda wa miezi 6 hadi 8 kwa mwaka.
      Wakati huu si kutafuta eneo kubwaa la kilimo au ukiweza tumia Hydroponic Technoloy ambacho ni kilimo ambacho ardhi haina nafasi kubwa wanatumia kulima kwenye tray na si kupanda mazao ardhini.

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  8. asante kwa mchango wako shaban ferdinand

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  9. naomba ushauri nimbolea gani nzuri kwa alizeti

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  10. Update please usituwekee taarifa za miaka ya nyuma

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