Njombe — THE Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and the Rockefeller Foundation on Tuesday launched a project to test three innovative storage technologies to help the country's smallholder farmers reduce postharvest losses.
The three technologies - hermetic cocoons, metal silos and PICs (Purdue Improved Cowpeas) bags - are part of a two year project in response to this year's impressive bumper harvest of key food crops in Tanzania's breadbasket regions, which has seen a harvest surplus following 2013's 14.38 million metric tons.
Tanzania's National Food Reserve stores are currently saturated, creating a need for storage facilities to reduce food loss and transportation costs. With farmers across Tanzania adopting improved agricultural practices, the country is facing increased yields, leading to increased pressure for storage facilities.
Farmers are at great risk of losing significant amounts of their harvest and consequently their income, due to their inability to properly store their grain.
Research funded by AGRA estimates that Tanzania sometimes faces post-harvest losses as high as 40 per cent for some crops.
Over 4,200 farmers will participate in the project, from which lessons will also be drawn on barriers to their adoption to technologies in their trade.
Speaking at the project launch in Ibumila Village, Njombe, The Permanent Secretary (PS) Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives, Ms Sophia Kaduma, thanked AGRA and the Rockefeller Foundation for coming up with the project and if the technology proves a success, the government would work with private sector to support the mass adoption of the innovations.
"We have seen agriculture continue to grow and prosper in our country; as the government works to increase warehouse storage capacity, projects like this one will ensure our farmers can store their grain and reap the benefits of bumper harvests," she said.
AGRA President, Dr Agnes Kalibata explained the timelines of the project and its role in generating research to inform similar interventions in the future.
"There are a number of innovative storage technologies available, but these are yet to reach farmers, traders and government agencies involved in food storage.
This project will enhance efforts to increase farmers' access to new technologies to reduce post-harvest losses and increase our understanding of how to best to encourage greater uptake of similar storage technologies," said Dr Kalibata.
AGRA Country Head in Tanzania, Dr Mary Mgonja, said the project would go a long way in consolidating Tanzania's drive to be the bread basket for East Africa and beyond.