Low potato prices irk Rungwe farmers

HARRIET KIAMA in Mbeya

IRISH potato farmers in Nduta village, Suma ward in Rungwe District, Mbeya Region, have asked district authorities to help them get reliable market to improve pricing.

The farmers presented their request before District Administrative Secretary (DAS), Mr Edmund Mwandemele, who was representing the District Commissioner (DC), Mr Chalya Julius, during the closing of four months training on modern Irish potato farming organised by Yara Tanzania Limited Company this week.

Reading the report before the guest of honour, one of the farmers, Ms Victoria Kilasa, said that up to now majority of the farmers have been trained on modern farming and are applying new farming techniques which results in increase in harvest. “We have been trained on new ways of farming and there is increase in harvest.

One of the biggest challenges we are facing now is that we are selling our potatoes at very low prices,” she said. She continued to say that another challenge they are facing is high prices of agricultural input and asked for assistance to access them at affordable prices.

Another farmer, Joshua Mwapongo, said, “We are selling one bag of Irish potatoes at 25,000 to 35,000 shillings. This is a very poor price. If we could sell one bag at 45,000 to 50,000 shillings we could at least get profit.”

Responding, Mr Mwandemele asked the farmers to keep on applying the techniques they received during the trainings without forgetting to use improved seeds in order to get quality products which are marketable.

“The government will work on your challenges, but you have to play your part by applying modern farming methods and use improved seeds to have quality harvest,” he emphasised.