Tanzanian CHAURU bags US$679,000 to boost rice production

TANZANIA – The Ruvu Irrigation Cooperative Society (CHAURU) has received 1.70bn/ nearly US$679,000 from the Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank (TADB) to boost rice production.

CHAURU Ltd is an irrigation scheme registered as an agricultural and marketing cooperative societies LTD (AMCOS) under the Cooperative Act of Tanzania, serves about 900 members and is actively working with Agriterra.

According to TADB, the grants have enabled the cooperative to make fruitful strides among them pushing up yields per acre from 15 sacks of rice to 30 sacks per hectare.

TADB’s Principal Business Officer Mr Kezilahabi Jumanne noted that the cooperative society’s overall cultivation capacity also increased from 4.0 tonnes before the loan to 6.5 tonnes this year.

“The secured loan from the bank has enabled the cooperation to make great strides as they have been able to increase their level of productivity,” Mr. Jumanne told reporters.

Mr Sadala Chacha, CHAURU’s Chairman revealed that despite the success registered, the society still faces numerous challenges mainly poor rice drying methods.

“We are still using the traditional method of drying rice that does not guarantee the best quality…Plans are underway to procure a modern technology that assures good quality,” said Mr. Chacha.

Additionally, Chacha highlighted that the society is facing a stiff and limited market outreach since it only relies on nearby markets of Coast, Dar es Salaam, and Zanzibar.

According to him, the market share is still limited, noting that the group plans to penetrate the market nationally by 2030.

“We are planning to go as wide as the whole country such that by 2030, others could see us as an example,” the chairman said.

The Coast region-based cooperative union between 2018 and last year has received various loans to improve areas such as infrastructures, purchasing tractors and agricultural inputs.

Thanking the TADB load, Chacha said that CHAURU membership has increased from 160 to 900 members.

In Tanzania, rice is one of the main foods and cash crops cultivated by both medium and small-scale farmers.

Recently, the country envisaged significant changes in the use of agricultural technology to enable an increase in rice production from less than 2.5 tonnes per hectare to five tonnes or more by 2030, to double local production.

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