Hope as Tanzania’s pyrethrum production doubles

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s pyrethrum production has nearly doubled in the last four years, thanks to a positive response from farmers, increased processing, and the intervention of the government and other stakeholders.

The produce used as broad-spectrum natural insecticides and active ingredients in agriculture and public health is currently grown in six regions. They are Mbeya, Iringa, Njombe, Manyara, Songwe, and Arusha. These regions have a network of between 14,000 and 17,000 farmers, according to the Tanzania Pyrethrum Board (TPB) director general, Mr Lucas Ayo.

Production has increased from 2,600 tonnes in the 2019/20 season to 4,200 tonnes during the 2022/23 season.

The target is to produce 5,000 tonnes in the 2023/24 season, according to Mr Ayo.

“There has been a positive response from farmers who are prompted by the increase in prices,” said Mr Ayo, adding that the price had jumped from Sh2,600 per kilo to Sh3,500 during the period under review.

The number of processors has also increased from only one in 2016 to seven currently, while the government and other stakeholders have been partnering with government institutions to ensure farmers get better seeds and grow sustainably.

According to him, the earnings have also improved from an average of Sh14 billion during the last season to an average of Sh17 billion per year this season.

Tanzania is the world’s second-largest producer of pyrethrum after Australia, and in the 2022/2023 fiscal year, the country exported different products from pyrethrum flowers, including crude extract, pyrethrum powder, and dried marc, to the US, China, Thailand, India, Japan, and Kenya.

The increased exports followed a rise in production by smallholders, including an increase in pyrethrum content from 1.1 percent to 1.2 percent. That translates into an increase in revenue for smallholders from $320 to $750 per acre, according to Lutheran World Relief (LWR), which is involved in supporting the farmers.

“Pyrethrum production represents a significant opportunity for small farmers to earn a substantial steady income throughout the year that greatly enhances livelihood stability,” said the Lutheran World Relief country programme manager, Mr Moses Kabogo.

He said the organisation will continue to improve market linkages for smallholders, increase pyrethrum production and quality, improve post-harvest handling, use technological solutions, and increase the participation of youth and women in the value chain.

According to him, the organisation intends to reach more than 15,000 small farmers in Njombe, Iringa, Mbeya, and Songwe Regions by the end of 2024.

In order to ensure farmers receive proper training on extension services, stakeholders also formed five Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Societies (AMCOS), 300 farmer groups serving 13,332 farmers, and a cadre of agricultural entrepreneurs in their supply chain to increase incomes and improve livelihoods through improved production and quality of pyrethrum.

Pyrethrum buyers are estimated to demand about 10,000 tonnes per year while the current production is 4,200 tonnes, making it an opportunity for farmers to increase production.

The quality of Tanzanian pyrethrum is at 1.2 percent pyrethrin content, while the potential is at two percent, which will lead farmers to earn around 4,500 per kilo.

The gap calls for stakeholders to join efforts to support smallholder farmers to increase yield and quality to meet the demands of the companies.

Collaborative efforts through the TPB, LWR, the Tanzania Agriculture Research Institute (TARI Uyole), and private companies such as Pyrethrum Company of Tanzania are helping in the distribution of free seeds to farmers and training farmers on best practices.