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Paprika: Tanzania tipped for high yield
2006-11-04 09:07:41
By Ludger Kasumuni
Tanzania has a conducive climate that allows large scale production of paprika, a cash crop in high demand on the world market, The Guardian has established in a week long survey.
A senior official in the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives, Judith Kitivo confirmed that studies have proved that paprika can grow well under temperatures between 24 and 35 degrees centigrade.
”Coastal areas, the hinterland of Tanzania, apart from cool mountain peaks and the central part of the country are ideal for the production of paprika,” Kitivo said.
However, Kitivo said, despite the production and market potentialities, production of paprika known in Kiswahili as pilipili mbuzi, remains dismal in Tanzania.
At the moment, Kitivo said, successful production of the crop has been recorded in Rukwa, Tabora, Tanga especially in Muheza and Korogwe districts, Coast Region especially in Mpiji Bagamoyo and some parts of Arusha.
”In fact, local farmers could take advantage of the conducive farming conditions and the available market potential,” she said.
Last September, during his routine monthly address to the nation, President Jakaya Kikwete, hinted that Spain was ready to import over 40 million tonnes of the crop.
Available information shows that paprika is one of the non-traditional crops introduced in Tanzania six years ago.
It is used as an ingredient in a broad variety of dishes throughout the world and to season and colour rice, stews, and soups such as goulash.
It is rich in vitamin C, D, and E, essential for human body immunity, growth of bones and development of hormones.
Kitivo said the crop was vulnerable to fungal infection, but this could easily be controlled. Regular spraying of the plants, she said, would guarantee excellent yield per unit area and subsequent good earnings.
”Local investors have failed to exploit the huge foreign market prospects for paprika, leaving only two foreign companies to dominate the national paprika cultivation and export,” Kitivo said.
Hardly 200 tonnes of paprika are produced in the country annually, she said but was optimistic that earnings from the business could help farmers fight poverty more aggressively.
Production of the crop has remained under contract farming. Companies buying paprika from small scale producers are Tanzania Spices Ltd, a Spanish company and Olera Company from Italy.
The two foreign companies have been contracting local farmers to grow paprika.
According to Kitivo there is only one NGO, the Tanzania Youth Social, Employment and Development (TAYOSEDA), dealing with contracting the growing of paprika, but again it is under the auspices of Tanzania Spices Ltd.
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