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Raising tree nurseries good business
2006-12-23 08:33:58
By George Sembony,PST,Tanga
The public stereotype linking the raising of tree nurseries to volunteer work is no longer valid.
Tree nurseries are environmental enterprises that raise and supply tree seedlings commercially, according to results of new pilot project.
A UNDP supported project in Lushoto district, Tanga region, was trying to change the volunteerism attitude in tree planting by empowering private tree nursery owners.
The scheme is being implemented by a Non-Governmental Organization, Rural Resources Centre for Sustainable Development (RRC).
Its director, R.V. Mugyabuso told a recent one day seminar involving key stakeholders that the need for promoting a balanced ecology and boosting conservation has created demand for tree seedlings on commercial basis.
District heads of departments, divisional officers and other government and private partners attended the seminar.
One of the project’s objective was to increase cash proceeds from sales of privately raised tree seedlings annually at the rate of 5 to 7 percent.
”Our aim is to ensure that not less than 70 percent of the tree seedlings demanded for annual tree planting exercise are supplied by private nurseries by June 2008,” Mugyabuso pointed out.
An inventory survey of the privately owned tree nurseries covering all the 7 divisions in Lushoto district conducted by the end of July, this year has revealed that the sub-sector has a huge potential for creating jobs and at various levels.
”For every 4 – 6,000 seedlings a job is created (differing between agricultural economic zones,” Mugyabuso said, adding that the survey has indicated that seedling production and sales from privately owned tree nurseries are on the increase and the return per labour unit is about 90,577/-.
Just like fruits, vegetables, flowers or beans, tree seedlings which are increasingly becoming fast moving commodities, tree seedlings raised on large scale make a kill as well.
Explaining the justification for the project, Mugyabuso said that the forest department has reduced its production of nursery plants for use by communities and individuals due to the general shift in the government policy aiming at reducing public expenditure.
Afforestation for ecological and economic reasons has increased and would continue to do so, he said, pointing out that to meet the increasing demand for nursery stock, many people have organized themselves as individuals or in groups to raise seedlings and sell them at negotiable prices.
”This has attracted tree-planting practitioners to buy seedlings from such centres and due to the increasing seedlings demand, the number of such centres has increased, thus boosting the much sought after self-employment for poverty reduction.
Mugyabuso said that while young men and women run such types of nurseries for their economic survival, they lack basic knowledge of inheritance and resultant effects on the future tree crops at the end.
”Unfortunately these private individual owners of small nurseries lack the scientific and technical know-how to change their management practices to improve future forestry management practices,” he said.
He pointed out that they also lack the entrepreneurship kind of mindset and business management skills, which are crucial factors for the whole undertaking to be viable.
RRC has offered to help by conducting basic training courses, followed by regular visits to individual nurseries to solve on-site any technical problems as they arise.
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