Let us Make Sorghum a Commercial Food Crop

[Fredrick Sanga]

Tanzania is one of the largest sorghum grower in Sub Saharan Africa, but very little is known as to why sorghum is not used in many households as food. The world weather is becomming more and more hostile as the world temperature is rising. Sorghum plant can supersevere a very dry wheather condition, and is a very appropriate in semi arid areas of our countries like Dodoma, Singida, Kondoa, Shinyanga etc. I hapend to be an expert in the processing of sorghum to the edible and palatable level. I have tried to write proposals to some statutory organisation in the country for the same projects but in vain.

Now I am bringing to Jamii F, this item for input. Technologies for planting, harvesting, treashing, dehulling and producing flour are existing. What is needed now is to use people like the writer to drive them to function in our country.

If you think you can contribute an idea, or you know anything about sorghum processing in Tanzania, please let us share. tanzania imported 10 dehulling machine in early 80s, but I dont know what has hapened? If there is any project going on somewhere in Tanzania, please let us share.

Engineer

 

[Fredrick Sanga]

Tanzania inahitaji chakula cha uhakika wakati huu wa mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa duniani. Mtama (Sorghum) ni zao la uhakika Tanzania, lakini linafanyiwa kazi kwa spidi ndogo sana. Wataalamu wapo, technologia za koboresha ladha ya chakula kinachotokana na sorghum ipo, lakini haitumiki ki hivyo. Wahandisi, wanasayansi, na wengine hebu semeni basi.

 

[Nanren]

It is a Good idea, especially considering the increasing climate variability, with many areas facing unreliable rains.

However, the "natural demand" of sorghum as a staple is so low.
You need first to make people "like it" so that it can be consumed by more and more people and that will be a challenging task given that most Africans are conservative and they would rather starve than try something they are not used to. I have feelings that the number of sorghum consumers will not increase beyond the traditional arid and semi-arid areas. Because of this, its market potential is rather questionable and I personally am not optimistic of the possibility.

 

[Fredrick Sanga]

There are three main reasons that are given to the poor utilisation of sorghum, for instance flour. 1 the bad test due difficulties in dehulling, and the chemical characteristics of the hulls. 2 the price due to expensive processing. 3 the bad colour of the flour. The technology has been developed to handle the three factor. Let me tell you, Botswana has tried and now they are enjoying their efforts

"Commercial sorghum processing in Botswana has grown rapidly during the past decade. The number of sorghum millers has increased four-fold, and sorghum meal has become competitive with maize in urban and rural food markets". (D Rohrbach, 2000).

So let us try to share some infomations

 

[Nanren]

Yes, It is possible that Botswana tried and was successful. It is also possible that tswana people are traditionally used to sorghum as main staple food, so it is easy for them to adopt any new sorghum related innovations.
My point is that how do you increase the demand of sorghum in Tanzania, especially in areas where traditionally sorghum is not the preferred staple? People in the coast would prefer rice and maize to sorghum, same applies to most areas in southern highlands. People in Kilimanjaro and Arusha, Kagera and Kigoma would go for bananas, maize and rice as their staple. Others in Mtwara and Lindi would go for Rice, maize and cassava or potatoes. Thus, the consumers of sorghum in Tanzania are confined in central regions of Dodoma, Singida, Manyara, and parts of Shinyanga and Mara. Even in those areas, there is a good number of people who only take sorghum when there is famine, otherwise thier first-choice staple is rice or maize. Now without widening this market base of the sorghum consumers how can you be sure of developing profitable sorghum business?

 

[Fredrick Sanga]

There is something called innovation and the power for innovation diffusion, now unless you give some one an easy way of dehulling sorghum to make it paltable, she will never spend the whole day dehulling sorghum for the day mill. but now I know that the dehullers for maize are not good for sorghum, but I have identified and used myself the sorghum dehuller from Botswana. It is only Botswana so far that is exporting this dehuller to Namibia, South Africa, swaziland etc. there is another similar project in west Africa that is sucssesful. What I am trying to do is to highlight the problems that are making people abandoning sorghum, however the reasons can be solved, by the technologies that have been developed. We need to start in those regions that like sorghum but they canot afford the cumbersome processes to enjoy the taste.

I like the contribution.

 

[Bantugbro]

Wataalam,

BTW Sorghum ndio mtama au Uwele?...

 

[Fredrick Sanga]

Mtama - millet, uwele - sorghum, ulezi - finger millet. hebu wataalamu hebu tusaidiane ili kieleweke.

 

[Nanren]

Kiswahili si unajua kinavyoboa kwa kutojitosheleza? Kwa hiyo hata mimi kuna wakati nachanganyikiwa. Lakini kwa kiasi kikubwa nakubaliana na Sanga hapo juu.

Bwana Sanga nakuunga mkono kwa wazo lako kuu. Ila ndugu yangu, wakulima huwa ni wabishi sana. Kama upo TZ jaribu kuonana na Prof. Matee pale SUA, Morogoro akupe historia ya kushindwa kwa kilimo cha Serena kwa mbegu ya"Tegemeo". Utapata mwangaza zaidi jinsi ya ku-implement idea yako.

 

[Fredrick Sanga]

Nitawasiliana na Prof, asante sana kwa hii information. hawa ndio wa kuanza nao, wanajua mengi. Naomba visit the website www.RIPCO(B) utaona wanzetu wanvyofanya.

 

[Fredrick Sanga]

Tafadhali, naomba kama kuna, taarifa zozote za kinu cha kuaandaa sorghum (uwele). Tanzania ambocho kina fanya kazi, niwasilishie taarifa ili nifuatilie mafanikio na matatizo

Please if you happend to know any sorghum processing plant in Tanzania. I want to make a follow up on the succcess and problems experienced.