Opinion: Tanzanian farmers must become competitive
Tanzanian farmers are looking for opportunities to grow and sustain their business in complex environments. This requires not only improved inputs and technology but also new thinking, says Anaclet Rwegayura.
Reports on crop production or other farm activities in Tanzania make one conjure up images of large barns for storing grains and sheltering livestock in the so-called granary regions. But moving around the country, one actually finds a largely underdeveloped landscape and small-scale cultivators in outlying areas.
The once famous sisal plantations became neglected after government sold them to private companies. Former state-run wheat farms have disappeared, while coffee and tea estates in the highland regions either shrank or the shrubs were uprooted by farmers who opted for more lucrative crops.
The growth of Tanzania's agricultural exports in the past was part of a worldwide trend in markets seeking tropical produce and a typical response to price incentives.
CIFOR