Cassava production and develop situation in Tanzania, China cooperation

With the promotion of modern cassava cultivation methods in Tanzania, farmers will increase their cassava production in Tanzanian from 10 tons per hectare to 60 tons per hectare. The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) recently organized a study tour of cassava farmers in the Kisarawe region of Tanzania, and experts said that if modern farming methods are used, The cassava production in Tanzanian can reach higher levels.

Geoffrey Mkamilo, director of the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI), said that with the appropriate use of advanced fertilizers, Tanzanian farmers can increase cassava production and will get rid of the current poverty situation. Mkamilo said: “In countries like Tanzania, cassava crops are very important, but unfortunately, farmers have been using traditional outdated crop cultivation methods for years, resulting in reduced yields. However, if they can use modern methods, they can easily Increasing crop yields by nearly 60%.” In sub-Saharan Africa, cassava is an important staple crop for millions of people, and the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute played a leading role in developing improved cassava varieties that are resistant to pests and diseases, low in cyanide, drought-resistant, precocious and high-yielding.

Cassava

In terms of cassava demand, as China has shown increasing interest in Tanzanian cassava, it is time for Tanzanian farmers to get rid of traditional cultivation methods and start applying modern technology for the cassava production in Tanzania, including the use of fertilizers to increase production, along with nitrogen. The use of phosphorus potassium (NPK) fertilizers, if farmers use a reasonable dose, cassava production quantity average in Tanzania will be greatly increased.

In fact, the Sino-Tanzan cassava industry cooperation has made some progress. In early 2017, Tanzania Agricultural Export Processing Zone Co., Ltd. signed a $1 billion cassava planting and processing cooperation agreement with a Chinese company (TAEPZ) to commercialize cassava cultivation and processing. Under the agreement, the company will also establish an industrial park consisting of plants producing cassava flour, starch, garri, animal feed, organic fertilizer and pulp, and the next phase will include the production of industrial starch sugar and ethanol. Current statistics show that Tanzania produces 5.5 million tons of cassava per year, while TAEPZ consumes 2.5 million tons of dried cassava per year for the production of various types of cassava products.

Doing Company cassava processing machines

In May 2017, Li Yuanping, deputy director of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China, and the Minister of Engineering, Transportation and Communications of Tanzania, Makami Mbarawa, signed the Protocol on the Inspection and Quarantine Requirements for Tanzanian Cassava Drying Plants in China. This is in cooperation with China in the export of cassava raw materials and processing exports.

Tanzania has a unique natural environment for cassava planting (located in the south latitude 6° tropical region, distinct dry and wet seasons, annual average temperature of 23°C-26°C), fertile soil, abundant agricultural land resources, agricultural pests and natural disasters. Less convenient transportation conditions; and the traditional agricultural production thinking constraints have resulted in the agricultural land not being effectively exploited, the single cassava variety, backward planting patterns and processing techniques, lack of agricultural capital investment and the occlusion of international agricultural trade information have become a serious constraint factors on the cassava production in Tanzania.

Main cassava processing methods

In 2017, Tanzania Agricultural Export Processing Zone Co., Ltd. signed a cassava pilot project with the Tanzanian government. After the project is officially launched, it will increase Tanzanian cassava production from the current 5 million tons per year to 20 million tons in 5 years, reaching 40 million tons within ten years. When the project is fully operational, it will bring employment opportunities to 500,000 people, thus completely changing the landscape of the cassava industry in Tanzania. The cassava and cassava products grown in Tanzania can not only cover the country, but also export to the surrounding markets including the Chinese market. This will also make Tanzania the third cassava importer in China after Nigeria and Ghana.

According to the China-Africa Trade Research Center, cassava and cassava products are used in a wide range of applications, including food, textile and paper, and even have great medicinal value. In China, the demand for cassava is mainly used as industrial raw materials, which can produce alcohol and starch. Tanzania has a unique cassava planting environment. China and Tanzania will further cooperate in cassava raw materials and processing export trade, making Tanzania the third cassava importer in China. And Doing Company as a professional cassava processing machines manufacture and supplier from China, will keep to concentrate the cassava production and develop situation in Tanzania, after all, our two countries are good partner for cassava cooperation.