Yara’s new initiative to raise farmers’ income

Iringa. Yara Tanzania started a new chapter in its farmers’ empowerment drive with the launch of an initiative through which it will be providing a new range of quality animal nutrition that will revolutionise the livestock and fisheries subsectors in the country.

The animal feed products, to be available through Yara Tanzania’s network of distributors, will help millions of livestock, poultry, and aquaculture farmers boost their profits in line with climate change.

“Yara International produces top-quality animal nutrition products that we are today introducing to the Tanzanian market. We are excited and look forward to working closely with the government, farmers, and animal feed manufacturers to improve the quantity and quality of milk and beef production,” said Yara Tanzania Managing Director, Mr Winstone Odhiambo.

The animal nutrition products are manufactured at Yara’s factory in South Africa.

“Today’s launch in Iringa is significant to Tanzania, coming hot on the heels of the just-ended Africa Food Systems Forum (AGRF) summit held in Dar es Salaam to rally African countries to take action to ascertain food security, end poverty, and bring prosperity to all,” said Mr Odhiambo.

Tanzania is the third country in Africa to introduce animal nutrition from Yara International, after South Africa and Kenya. These products have been in use in Europe for decades, where the livestock industry has grown to become a multibillion-dollar business, Mr Odhiambo said.

Figures from the Tanzania Dairy Board (TDB) show that Tanzania has an annual milk production deficit of some nine billion litres to meet the country’s consumption of 12 billion litres. In 2022, the country spent over Sh23 billion on milk imports to cater for the deficit while also exporting vital jobs and losing the much-coveted foreign exchange.

The Yara sales nutritionist, Dr Peter Mukua, said the company was partnering with farmers, animal feed manufacturers, and regulatory authorities in the project to ensure that standards are met and significantly boost the livestock and fisheries subsector for prosperity.

Dr Mukua said dairy farmers were guaranteed an additional three litres per cattle per day upon use of the recommended Yara animal feed solutions. Tanzania’s mostly indigenous cattle, which currently account for 70 percent of milk production in the country, yield only between a half and two litres of milk per cattle per day.

The products also boost the immunity of the animals and improve fertility and conception, guaranteeing the dairy farmer a calf per year. ‘Maziwa Pro’ will be the flagship product, made to address phosphorous deficiency, which is a major contributor to poor animal productivity in Tanzania.

It is high-phosphorous fortified with powdered molasses and 15 percent protein.

Other products, such as Kynofos 21, come to address farmers issues of weak eggshells, lameness, cannibalism in layers, reduced growth rate, and low weight gain in broilers and pigs.

Yara will also introduce products targeting beef, sheep, and goat farmers to maximise their profits by increasing growth rate and carcass quality, resulting in a shorter duration from birth to market while fetching good sales.

“We also have excellent products for farmers and pastoralists’ communities who want to do full or semi-feedlots,” said Dr Mukua.