Suppliers warned over substandard cotton seed

THE government has warned suppliers who provide substandard cotton seeds to farmers that legal
action awaits any dealer who would be found engaging in such dirty deal.

The Minister for Agriculture, Livestock

and Fisheries, Mr Mwigulu Nchemba,
issued the warning here when officiating
at the opening of the Tanzania Cotton
Growers Association (TACOGA) annual
general meeting which was held in
Mwanza city and attended by farmers,
regional and district commissioners and
legislators from the regions which are
major producers of cotton.

It is impossible for a country with experts

that we are still complaining of poor
growing of seeds, the government cannot
continue to look while the farmer is
curtailed, he said, adding, Professionals in
my ministry, from today, I do not want to
hear of delays in distribution of cotton seeds to farmers.

He said that every time, matters relating to the

distribution of seeds and inputs to farmers
must be done quickly in order to solve the
problems faced by cotton growers.

The government will look at the performance

of all crop boards and institutions dealing with
agriculture and the legitimacy of their presence, because we cannot have institutions that are not
helping farmers, this is sabotage and negligence, he said, adding,

We cannot have an influx of institutions dealing with agriculture issues yet they are not supporting

farmers and it is not possible that every time we should have a challenge of seeds failing to
germinate. He urged transporters of seeds to ensure that farmers get better seeds which are ready
to grow for maximum production.

Anyone who will distribute seeds to farmers and proved unable to germinate will be charged under
economic sabotage and we will not give him bail, he said.

The TACOGA Acting Chairman, Mr Godfrey Mukiri, requested the government to help them get
guaranteed quality seeds from supplies. Moreover, he urged the government to pay 3.49b/- it
directed the Cotton Development Trust Fund ( CDTF) to pay farmers in the agriculture season of
2011/12.

Failure to pay these funds has hampered the performance of CDTF resulting in it being dragged to
court. And, because of that, the fund failed to serve farmers in the agriculture season last year, he
said.

The CDTF Chairman, Mr Salum Hamis, thanked President John Magufuli for appointing Mr Mwigulu
Nchemba as the Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries where he said this year, the cotton
and agriculture sectors got a credible leader.

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eed