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SUA empowers millet, sorghum farmers
2006-09-06 09:11:34
By Moris Lyimo
The Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) has improvised a sorghum and millet processing technology suitable for local conditions.
The initiative begins as a pilot scheme in three regions where home-made dehulling machines would be provided to improve the processing of the two crops and improve their market position and value.
SUA department of Food Science and Technology lecturer Dr Joseph Mpagalile said last week at a two days exhibition in the City that Dar es Salaam, Morogoro, and Dodoma would be the first beneficiaries.
To begin with, three groups would benefit first. He however, declined to mention them on the reason that machines are still under fabrication process.
A US based Sheridan Lutheran Church in Lincoln, Nebraska, has provided funds to the University for the Initiative, he said.
The success of the pilot project would go a long way towards relieving farmers from the use of arduous dehulling traditional technologies.
The various traditional technologies in use damage the grains and ultimately the quality and market value of the crops.
The Don added that SUA in collaboration with another institution, Nebraska University from Nebraska have been working hand in hand in offering training to farmers on how to process the two crops professionally.
He said over 60 farmers of the produce and processors operating in Dodoma, Mororogo and Dar es Salaam have been trained on ways to process the crops in order to make edible bites.
He said the produce can also be processed to make fried bites, donuts, bread, and cakes bedsides, stiff and soft porridge.
’This project started in June last year and was intended to wind up in June again next 2007.It is being sponsored by another US based institute called ’International Sorghum and Millet’(INTSORMIL) in three regions of Dodoma, Morogoro and Dar es Salaam,’ he specified.
An exhibition attendant, Dr Wencelaus Ballegu also from SUA said the new processing move would trigger farmers to shift from mono-cropping habits to farm diversification, with chances that sorghum and millet would compete with wheat, maize and paddy on the marketplace.
Ballegu further said that SUA is planning to launch similar projects for crops like cassava, this being part of a strategy to implement Mkukuta programme.
Millet and sorghum are food crops grown by low income earners and are both drought and pest resistant.
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