Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa is briefed about sunflower seeds by Agriculture minister Adolf Mkenda during an event that brought together sunflower stakeholders in Singida Region last week. PHOTO | EDWIN MJWAHUZI
Dar es Salaam. Despite the good production and business environment for sunflower growing in Tanzania, the country remains an importer of edible cooking oil.
Last week, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said the country spends over Sh474 billion on importing 360,000 to 400,000 tonnes of the product annually.
According to him, this is against the total annual demand of 650,000 tonnes, meaning the country only produces 290,000 tonnes.
Stakeholders note, however, that there are many shortcomings in the sunflower production for edible oil manufacturing that need effective interventions for the sector to perform better and grow.
Low productivity, poor distribution system of improved seeds, taxes, lack of extension services and climate change are among the main challenges that stakeholders identified in the sunflower value chain.
Widespread adoption of improved seed is one of the important drivers of increased production of sunflower oil in Tanzania, already one of the largest producers of the crop in Africa, according to Mr Peter Mwasalyanda, a sunflower farmer and processor.
He said, “Seeds are somehow expensive for small farmers as a kilo is sold at Sh30,000 and that sometimes it is not they are enough for one hectare cultivated.”
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), an average of 979 kilos of sunflower is produced per hectare.
Low production leads to low raw materials for sunflower cooking oil processing firms, Mr Mwasalyanda told The Citizen.
“There are a few sunflower farmers in the regions actively participating in production of the crop to feed processing plants in terms of raw materials,” he said.
Mr Mwasalyanda said the production could only meet demands of small scale processors as big firms could import raw materials from other countries and meet production demands.
However, small scale farmers are the ones dominating the sunflower production and processing mainly done by small and medium enterprises.
Sunflower production has also been affected by climate change; this is because the crop usually thrives in warm weather as the crop could withstand higher temperatures. Central zone regions including Singida and Dodoma have ideal soil and climate conducive for sunflower production.
“When it rains above average the crop yields drops in production regions, therefore insufficient raw material will be supplied for processing leading to low domestic production of cooking oil,” said Mr Mwasalyanda.
Dodoma-based sunflower processor Amina Majengo said quality seeds were supplied on purchasing order, noting that any delays in pressing orders made it difficult for farmers to get.
“This gives most processors difficult time despite the fact that there are traditional seeds which are sold at low prices,” she said.
According to Ms Majengo, another challenge facing the sunflower production is absence of adequate government support especially extension officers specialized in the crop, a pattern that repeats in other strategic crops as well.
Her concern was supported by another processor who advised the government to get more involved with farmers in order to increase their awareness on the crop they produce and adopt advanced farming techniques and best practices.
As a processor, she observed, sometimes they entered into contracts with farmers to supply raw materials to processors, noting that little or absence of government interventions on business impedes growth of the crucial sub-sector.
“Processors may decide to do contract farming instead of cultivating the crop for themselves. However, disputes occur during payments as some farmers reject the agreement made including the amount,” she said.
Price fluctuations and taxes are the other challenges highlighted by stakeholders as hampering the sub-sector’s growth.
Mr Mwasalyanda told The Citizen that the government should work on removing barriers and encourage large scale production of seeds at low costs something that would attract many enterprises and individuals into the business. “The price of sunflower crops fluctuates a lot, there is also high price for technologies and refinery machineries,” he said.
Ms Majengo said taxation authorities should also consistently monitor processors and farmers instead of paying emphasis to the known ones only.
She said, “Some are being harassed to pay tax while others are left alone to do their business in peace. They should identify and regulate all businesses in order to create and maintain equity in the market.”
“Those who are not usually visited by TRA offer low prices than those who get taxed massively. This creates an unfair competition in the market,” added Ms Majengo.
During a parliamentary session in May 2021, Agriculture deputy minister Hussein Bashe said the government was intending to increase cooking oil production to 400,000 tonnes in the next two financial years.
He said nearly Sh10.6 billion has been allocated in the 2021/22 financial year for procurement of quality sunflower seeds.
He said 680 extension officers in Singida, Dodoma and Simiyu will be given motorbikes; receive regular training, smartphones and soil kits to increase their efficiency in serving farmers in the regions.
According to the minister, achievements from the three regions will be multiplied to other regions being the sixth government’s efforts to make the country sustain itself in cooking oil and export the surplus.
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