Agri-Business 

Monday, March 17, 2014 

Post-harvest waste disturbs Zanzibar

UNGUJA, Zanzibar - Zanzibar has been in 40% post harvest loss on root and tuber crops. This loss is from the farmer’s get to the consumption.

This means if extra measure would not be taken to tackle the problem, farmers’ effort to cut their poverty as well as boost their earnings will be a dream.

Zanzibar Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI), Director, Mr Haji Saleh told East African Business Week in Zanzibar recently the root and tuber crops which include cassava, sweet potato and yam record loss.

“We find loss during the harvest, packaging, preparation and transportation,” he said adding that, “the whole chain contributes to 40% post harvest loss.”

He explains for instance cassava, during the harvest, there has been a big number of cassavas remaining in the ground. Saleh said there is also loss during the transportation as most cassava, yam and sweet potatoes lost when they are on the way to the market.

According to him, another area which most farmers get loss is during the preparation and packaging of the products. “These farmers lost a great number of root and tuber crops because the preparation and packaging is done locally.”

The director of the institute said 90% of the food crops grown in Zanzibar is cassava, because it is able to resist the dry weather of the island. The most hybrid cassava varieties being grown are Machui, Kizimba, Mahonda and Makama.

“We are involved in crops, livestock, fisheries but we would like to focus much on the problems of post -harvest,” Saleh said.
The institute is currently looking at the ways on how to train farmers on post-harvest loss from farm to consumers in order to allow farmers earn more from their produce.

The Director General of the Commission of Science and Technology (Costech), Dr Hassan Mshinda said scientists have made good progress to boost high yield varieties and farmers have to practice the better farming method. “We have made good progress in developing improved high-yielding varieties,” he told East African Business Week during the recent meeting in Dar es Salaam.

However, he noted if farmers do not practice good farming methods and move away from manual labor, they will not realize the full potential of these varieties.
The Chairman of Tumuambie Nini Farming Cooperative, a group of farmers who engaged on farming cassava and sweet potatoes, Mr Muhamad Machano said they grow such crops because they are resistant to diseases.

By Leonard Magomba, Monday, March 17th, 2014