SMALLHOLDER
sunflower farmers in Kondoa District have appealed to the government to
support them in expanding their cultivations as well as getting
reliable markets for the cash crop.
They
told reporters in the district recently that they have been
encountering a number of challenges in
acquiring quality sunflower
seeds, charging that shortage of extensional officers in their
respective areas poses a serious challenge for productivity of the cash
crop.
The concerns were raised by a group of female sunflower farmers from Mbumama Group in Bumbuta village, Kondoa District.
“We
are failing to produce enough harvests due to poor quality of sunflower
seeds that we use,” said the group’s Chairperson, Ms Theresia Pangala.
Drawing its members from Mbubuta, Mahongo and Nkundulu villages, the
43-member group engages in production of several items made from
sunflower, including cooking oil.
Other items are smear oil, mosquito repellent, shoe polishing oil as well as special oil for treating several skin diseases.
“We
are producing these items through very rudimentary facilities and,
unfortunately, we are yet to benefit accordingly due to poor market,”
said Ms Halima Nyeresa, a group member.
She
added that the group’s vision was to set up a vast factory for massive
production of sunflower related items as well as start refining
sunflower cooking oil.
“We are looking forward to any possible sponsorship from private and public sector to have our vision realised,” she expressed.
No comments :
Post a Comment