Songwe Regional Commissioner Jabir Omary Makame speaks on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, during an inspection after more than 2,000 adulterated fertiliser bags were seized at a trader’s warehouse in Tunduma, Momba District, Songwe Region. PHOTO | DENIS SINKONDE
The fertiliser was confiscated during a special inspection conducted by TFRA inspectors towards the end of 2025.
Songwe. The Tanzania Fertiliser Regulatory Authority (TFRA) Southern Highlands Zone has seized more than 2,000 bags of fertiliser, including consignments registered for use in Zambia, which were being illegally repackaged for sale to farmers in Tunduma Town Council, Momba District, Songwe Region.
The fertiliser was confiscated during a special inspection conducted by TFRA inspectors towards the end of 2025.
TFRA fertiliser quality control officer, Mr Heneriko Renatus, said inspectors uncovered fraudulent activities at one warehouse, where fertiliser was being repackaged without authorisation.
He said among the products found was fertiliser registered for use in Zambia, which, apart from being illegally repackaged, was also unsuitable for food crops.
Mr Renatus said the trader had been transferring fertiliser into new bags (repackaging) without TFRA approval.
“At the warehouse, we found D-Compound fertiliser, which is not authorised for use in Tanzania, as well as machines used for stitching fertiliser bags,” he told journalists during the inspection.
“The trader was arrested together with a lorry that had transported the fertiliser from Dar es Salaam,” he added.
Furthermore, he said, besides the illegal repackaging, more than 600 farmers had already been sold unsuitable fertiliser.
Songwe Regional Commissioner, Mr Jabiri Makame, has since instructed the regional police commander to conduct follow-ups to protect farmers from potential harm arising from the use of the fertiliser.
During the inspection, Mr Makame said, fertiliser issues touch on national security, noting that adulteration of fertiliser undermines food security and is therefore unacceptable.
He directed the Songwe Regional Police Force and the TFRA to fast-track investigations and arraign the Tunduma-based agricultural inputs trader in court on charges of fertiliser adulteration and selling fake inputs to farmers.
For his part, Songwe Regional Police Commander (RPC), Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Augustino Senga, said legal procedures were being finalised before the case file is submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for prosecution.
Some residents, including Mr Hamis Mwazembe, said crop performance on farms had been unsatisfactory compared with previous years, a situation they attributed to the fertiliser they had used.
“The government, through the NFRA, should intensify inspections of agro-input shops to identify fake fertiliser and protect farmers from counterfeit products, warning that such inputs lead to poor and unproductive harvests,” said another resident, Mr Maiko Mwasenga.
