Cotton growers in Tanzania acquire skills to enhance productivity

MORE than 2,500 small scale cotton farmers in the Lake Zone have been imparted with farming techniques that would increase their productivity. The Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) Technology Transfer Coordinator, Dr George Sonda, during the commemoration of the just ended cotton growers’ Day in Maswa District, said among the techniques were crop spacing and timely application of farm inputs, mostly fertilisers and pesticides. According to him, the training aimed at helping farmers increase productivity in cotton farming and therefore boost individuals and the nation’s economic growth. “The training has been conducted through ‘Victoria cotton programme’ that kicked off since 2017 in Simiyu, Geita and Mwanza, in the name of especially promoting farmers’ income,” he said. Farmers have to know and apply various modern technologies and at least ten principles, including timely farm preparations, acquisition of quality seeds and professionally (seed) planting as well as ...