Farmers can reap big from vegetables

Mtwara. Despite an increase in crop production, Mtwara Town is facing an acute shortage of vegetables leading to the rising prices of the nutritious produce.

Tabling the 2022/23 budget estimates in Parliament, Agriculture minister Hussein Bashe said vegetable production has been increasing countrywide since 2017.

He outlined the quantity of vegetables produced by the country and the respective years of the production of the crop in brackets as; 1.298 million (2017); 1.595 million (2018); 1.927 million (2019); 1.853 million (2020) and 2.017 million (2021).

According to him, the horticultural sector produced 7.305 million tonnes in 2021/2022, which is equivalent to 3.4 percent less as compared to 7.560 million produced in the 2020/2021 season.

However, the Tanzania Horticulture Association (Taha) Strategic Plan 2022-2026 shows that cases of obese people, especially women have been relatively increasing in the country.

“Promoting access to and consumption of appropriate nutrition intake of fruits and vegetables would bring about health outcomes in Tanzania while at the same time expanding the local market for horticultural products. This is both a challenge and an opportunity,” the strategy report says.

However, Mtwara Region, which is famous for cashewnut production, is facing insufficient production of vegetables leading to rise in prices.

The region is, however, not among those with higher food production, but is facing a larger number of stunted children.

According to the Tanzania Nutrition Survey for 2018, Dodoma, Dar es Salaam, Kigoma, Kagera, Mwanza, Simiyu and Geita regions had 150,000 stunted children despite the availability of food with highest nutrition values.

“The report also showed that Njombe, Rukwa, Iringa, Songwe, Ruvuma, Kagera and Kigoma regions had the highest stunting prevalence,” its says part of the report.

But, a survey by The Citizen in Mtwara shows that vegetables are sold at an average price of Sh500 and Sh1,000 per bundle unlike Dar es Salaam where vendors trade at as low as Sh300. The survey also indicates that most of the vegetables traded in Mtwara are brought from outside the region.

The situation has led to the insufficient supply of nutritious foods, something that negatively impacts the provision of a balanced diet to residents.

However, some women entrepreneurs have promised to turn the challenge into opportunities by increasing engagement in the production of horticulture crops especially vegetables.

The decision aims at increasing the availability of vegetables, something that will ultimately lower the prices and provide the residents with the opportunity of improving their nutritional value in their diets.

Speaking to The Citizen, a vegetable vendor in Mtwara town, Ms Fatuma Abdallah, said most of the vegetables traded in the district come from neighbouring regions.

“Vegetable bundles are sold at higher prices, making it hard to suffice a family. Vendors are forced to make small bundles of vegetables in order to maximise profit,” she said.

“We usually count the contents of bundles, mostly spinach, Chinese, collard greens and radish. They are usually sold at Sh500 per bundle which is, however, not enough for family consumption,” she added.

According to her, vegetable farming is an untapped opportunity that could economically benefit the majority of women and the youth to enable them sustain their living.

“Unfortunately, people haven’t actively tapped the opportunity despite an increase in population due to broadening economic activities such as the execution of natural gas and coal extraction projects,” she said.

She called on district and regional authorities to intensify education provision for the public to understand available opportunities and address any challenge that could hinder the vegetable production in the area.

Ms Maimuna Kayembe, a resident of Mtwara district says the high costs of vegetables have forced residents to buy and use them for a single meal, saying in normal life it was becoming expensive to have vegetables on the table each meal time.

“If these vegetables are grown from a home garden, then it is very easy, but for now it is too expensive for us,” she says.

According to her, the bundle of vegetables at the market was not having the value for money because they were so small that you could even count the number of leaves bundled together.

“Vegetables are now very expensive in the region...one need more than just one bundle of Sh500 for a meal for a family,” she says.

She says however, that most of such vegetables come from distant regions, that was why the prices were a little bit high .

“We have seen this as an opportunity and we will make full use of it as the market for the product is readily available and reliable,” says Ms Maimuna.

She says that they first underwent a training from the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (Tari) at its Naliendele Centre, on the cultivation of vegetables and fruits prior to cultivation commencement.

“The experts sharpened us with the knowledge and farming techniques as we venture into the business of vegetables and fruits growing in the region,” she says.

Ms Felister Nandala, also a resident in the region says women needed to venture into the business that will not only increase vegetable production and profit from vegetable business, but this will bring down the prices of vegetables in the region as well.

“Vegetable growing will also improve our household income and also improve our health status,” says Ms Nandala.

For her part, Ms Shakira Mohamed says they have been forced to mobilise their fellow women to form cooperative union in order to grow vegetables at a large scale.

“This union will help to elevate us from economic hardships. We will also be able to implore experts in the field, to provide us with vegetable growing techniques,” she says.

Tari, Naliendele Centre director Furtunus Kapinga says the institute has been conducting various studies on crop seeds including cashews, peanuts and sesame seeds. He says despite the importance of the cashew crop in the region, the centre also encourages farmers to have alternative crops like vegetables and fruits, giving them an opportunity for more income to help them buy cashewnut inputs.

“The idea of these women to visit the Tari-Naliendele Centre and learn about vegetable growing is good as this will enable them to earn additional income for their families,” he says.

Mtwara Urban District Commissioner Dunstan Kyobya said the district has set empowerment strategies to the women and the youth so as to address the shortage of vegetables in the area.

“The municipality doesn’t have a large area for carrying agricultural farming. However, we have the target of ensuring every family has its garden and that they will be trained modern vegetable farming including the use of plastic bags and buckets,” he said.

“There are some women and the youth carrying vegetable farming in the district, but the number is small. We are currently mobilizing citizens to engage in large numbers in vegetable production because it is simple and requires limited area,” he added.

The president’s representative in the district said citizens’ involvement in vegetable farming will not only address nutrition deficiency, but also will improve individual economy and that of the district as well as the region.