TGT to review Cotton program

ASSESS: CDTF works to improve income and livelihood of small scale cotton farmers

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania Tanzania Gatsby Trust (TGT) has organized a cotton sector workshop to review the milestones achieved by the Cotton and Textile Development programme (CTDP).

CTDP is an initiative of TGT and is funded by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation (GCF) and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID).

The CTDP works under the auspices of the Tanzania Cotton Board (TCB) and with a wide range of public and private sector partners to improve the incomes and livelihoods from cotton of 360,000 small scale cotton farmers in the Lake Zone regions of Tanzania. The aim is to sustainably transform the country’s cotton industry.

The transformation includes major policy work on cotton pricing, licensing and regulation; the development of private markets for key agricultural-inputs; and the facilitation of sector-wide use of improved cotton seed.

In parallel to this market transformation, the Programme is encouraging cotton farmers to adopt minimum tillage conservation agriculture.

Gatsby has committed approximately £10 million over six years to the programme. DFID are contributing nearly £6 million over four years in match funding to support the current scale-up phase. Significant co-funding agreements are also in place with NORAD and DEG.

The TGT under the Cotton and Textile Development Program has hosted a workshop for the Tanzanian Cotton Sector aimed at reviewing the milestones achieved, the challenges encountered and resolutions to be adhered too.

The workshop also intends to congratulate the ginners and District officials who have managed to develop a conducive environment for investment in contract farming in certain Districts and certain areas, recognizing that local leadership and good business practices contribute to increased cotton productivity in Tanzania.

It is also an opportunity to review the sector and identify what has worked to be modeled by all in the sector.

The workshop will be attended by Regional Commissioners, District Commissioners, Ginners, the Minister of Agriculture Food Security and Cooperatives – The Honorable C. K. Chiza, Tanzania Cotton Board, Tanzania Gatsby Trust and it’s grantor Lord David Sainsbury of the Gatsby Charitable Trust.

Lord Sainsbury acknowledges and appreciates, what the Honorable Chiza has accomplished in light of the challenges he has faced in a sector that is in much need of reforms.

“The move to set up a working group in his Ministry that is looking at policy issues of pricing, CDTF reform, contract farming best practice and TACOGA reform is encouraging to stakeholders and partners alike,” said Lord Sainsbury.

It is estimated between 2-3 times as many farmers will have accessed inputs through ginners as compared to last year, i.e. around 88,000 farmers in 2013-14 compared to 30,000 last season.

It seems likely that production will be higher overall and particularly high in areas where contract farming and the use of de-linted UK91 seed has prevailed.

By their collective efforts this season, investing ginners and investment facilitating District authorities have identified contract farming as the “way forward”.

This season we have 18 districts with more than 1,000 farmers under contract farming, compared to 8 last season and 11 ginners with more than 1,000 farmers under contract farming compared to 8 last season.

Investing ginners look to the implementation of contract farming as a mechanism by which they may secure a consistent supply of greater volumes of better quality seed cotton.

These ginners have identified this raw material supply as vital to their continuing prosperity and are prepared to invest in a business environment that is challenging.

The investment of these ginners is attracted by equally progressive Regional and District authorities who see private sector investment in cotton production as the means to enhancing the prosperity of cotton farmers and of the District as a whole and enhancing revenue collection for local development.

“The Local Government Authorities play an integral role in this sector, and their support is immeasurable as they have to delicately balance the support of the ginners, farmers and other stakeholders motivating them to take on best practices in the sector and the progress made in the sector attests to the dedication.” commented Lord Sainsbury.

The achievement of increased farmer commitment to greater production of higher quality seed cotton enhances the profitability of private-sector ginners seeking to maximize return on their Tanzanian investment; it further enhances the income of cotton farmers seeking to maximize returns on their land and labor in providing a better livelihood for themselves and their families and enhances the prosperity of the District as a whole through increased income in the District, reduced unemployment and increased opportunity for cess-funded public services.

By Leonard Magomba, Sunday, May 25th, 2014


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