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MINISTER DEFEND MIJINGU PROCUCTS
JAPHET SANGA
Daily News; Tuesday,January 27, 2009 @20:00
THE Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Food Security and Co-operatives, Dr David Mathayo David, said yesterday that locally produced Minjingu fertilizer being subsidized by the government and distributed to farmers was good and meets international
standards.
Answering a supplementary question by Mr Benito Malangalila (Mufindi South - CCM), Dr Mathayo said both the imported fertilizer and Minjingu product has phosphorous
which was crucial for maize growth and bumper yields.
He brushed off a notion that the imported stuff was always superior to locally produced goods calling on Tanzanians to cultivate the culture of promoting quality Local products.
In his supplementary question, the MP had expressed fear over the government's move to subsidize the Minjingu product during the 2008/09 farming season, saying it might fail the big four regions producers of maize in meeting their production targets.
The deputy minister said the only difference was that the Minjingu fertilizer was produced in powder form instead of crystals that the farmers used to see, saying the ministry has advised the factory to revert to crystal form of fertilizer. Likewise, he called on regional authorities and agricultural extension officers and others working with grassroot farmers to educate them on the good quality of the product.
Answering the main question by the same MP, Dr Mathayo said the government had set aside 40bn/- from the EPA account for agricultural subsidy during the 2008/09 financial year.
The money, he said, will be spent on subsidizing 155,000 tonnes of fertilizer and 6,000 tonnes of improved eeds.
He said due to a small budgetary allocation, only 700,000 farmers will be able to benefit from the subsidy during the farming season against 2.5 farmers who qualify in 11 regions. Despite the setback, he said statistics show that maize production in areas getting the subsidy has increased from 1.1 tonnes per hectare to about 1.5 tonnes.
Furthermore, he said, general maize production has increased from 2.218 million tonnes during 2004/05 to 3.593 million tonnes in2007/08, an 11.65 per cent
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