Rejuvenating coffee production #tanzania

A SIGNIFICANT aspect of Tanzania's economy is coffee
production, as it is her largest export crop, enjoying wide
coverage in the country, as growers do their utmost to
make more money and improve their livelihoods.
Coffee farmers, smallholders and those with big plantations
ranging from North Kilimanjaro to Mbeya, Matengo
Highlands, Mbinga, Usambara Mountains, Iringa, Morogoro,
Kigoma, and Ngara should now be happy after the release
of 23 new coffee varieties that are disease resistant.
Tanzania Coffee Research Institute (TaCRI) Chief Executive
Director, Professor James Teri says undoubtedly the new
coffee varieties will help coffee farmers make more money
and improve their livelihoods because the institute is in
rejuvenation of the Tanzania coffee industry. "The new
varieties will help farmers make more money.
That is our work to help coffee growers make more money
and improve their livelihoods and income security by
reducing production costs and increase productivity and
quality," says Professor Teri.
How has that come about? TaCRI Coffee Improvement
Research Programme Manager, Dr Deusdedit Kilambo says
the institution has registered greatest achievement by
having a higher number of improved coffee varieties in
comparison to other coffee research institutions in East and
Central Africa.
TaCRI has developed 23 coffee varieties with stronger base
of diseases resistance. The diseases are such as Coffee
Berry Disease (CBD), Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) for Arabica
coffee while Coffee Wilt Diseases (CWD) for Robusta is
averted as well, hence guaranteeing high yields, better
quality and price.
Dr Kilambo says due to the fact that CBD and CLR
combined can cause yield losses of up to 90v per cent.
CWD causes total loss-100 per cent loss. The release of the
varieties is handy in that the research technologies assist
growers cut down costs of production.
"Developing 23 coffee varieties is greatest milestone to
reckon. With new improved coffee varieties growers can cut
down almost 50% as a cost to control diseases.
For example, it requires growers to incur T840,000/- to buy
copper based fungicides to control CBD per season. With
new coffee varieties a grower is not required to buy
fungicide.
"New coffee varieties are high productive plants; under
good care, a grower can possibly get 1.5 to 6.0 tons of
green coffee beans per hectare. With traditional Arabica
coffee varieties a grower can have 1.5 tons of coffee green
beans but under heavy fungicide application," says Dr
Kilambo.
That is fail-safe, because TaCRI is among the top ranked
coffee research institutions in the world. The fact is
evidenced by comments from some experts in coffee
breeding, such as Dr Herbet van der Vossen, who worked at
Coffee Research Foundation Ruiru Kenya from 1971 to 1984
and latter on became a visiting consultant to TaCRI to
support Coffee Breeding Programme from 2004 to 2006.
Another expert, Dr Christophe Montagnon, the former Head
of Tree Crop at French Agricultural Research Centre for
International Development (CIRAD) based in Montpellier,
France who assisted TaCRI to develop Strategic Action Plan
(SAP III) for 2013/14 to 2017/18, commented that coffee
varieties developed by TaCRI are like 'Ferraris'- among the
most expensive cars in the world.
To augment on the fact that TaCRI has been at centre of
excellence, Prof Teri has served as the Chair of the African
Coffee Research Network (ACRN), a network of coffee
research institutes from Coite d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Uganda,
Ethiopia, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi,
Zimbabwe, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, to Burundi.
He is also among directors in the board of Association for
Science and Information on Coffee (ASIC), a body that
coordinates scientific information on coffee in the world. Dr
Kilambo says that in its SAP III for 2013/14 to 2017/18,
TaCRI's priorities are to address issues of climate change
by developing coffee varieties which are drought tolerant or
water use efficient.
"Some of the compact hybrids seem to endure water stress.
But TaCRI is evaluating 10 breeding lines in different coffee
agro-ecological conditions; Mbozi, Kasulu, Tarime and
Rombo.
At least 3 out of 10 breeding lines are promising; target for
official release is expected 2017/18," says the manager.
Also TaCRI is geared to tackle outbreak pest problems like
black twig borer which is reported to be a menace in a
neighbouring country.
"In the SAP III emphasis is in assisting coffee growers to
practice Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) to improve
productivity and quality, and to integrate mass
multiplication method to ensure provision of enough coffee
planting materials to growers," says Dr Kilambo.
The institution rejuvenates coffee industry by developing
and disseminating appropriate technologies to improve
coffee productivity and quality. Packaging and
disseminating GAPs in terms of leaflets, banners, open days
and agricultural shows, and working with more than 600
farmer groups.
It is his contention that they are well in use of farmer
promoters (advanced coffee growers) as extension agents
who assist TaCRI's technologies to diffuse easily among
growers and that growers who follow technical advices
from the institute are excelling.
Documenting and standardizing the methods as part of
technology transfer is of great assistance to a proposed
coffee seed sector. Coffee extension system is another
issue TaCRI needs to assist the subsector to address, but it
cannot, on its own, reach all coffee growers in 42 coffee
producing districts.
Dr Kilambo says between 2009/10 to 2011/12 TaCRI and
other stakeholders like farmer groups, district clonal mother
gardens, NGOs under guidance from TaCRI supplied 16
million seedlings per annum to initiate new mother gardens
and establish or replace old coffee varieties.
"But currently the capacity dropped as TaCRI is receiving
12 per cent to 14 per cent of what it is budgeted. TaCRI has
been insisting that other stakeholders; the district councils
in coffee producing districts to be involved in multiplication
and distribution of improved coffee varieties," he says.
However, multiplication of coffee seedlings is one thing, and
absorption of the seedlings is another. Other factors like
price of coffee should be convincing for growers to expand
or establishing new coffee farms.
"For example there is still a balance of 12,000 coffee
seedlings coffee seedlings in stock produced from TaCRI
Ugano substation in Mbinga for 2011/12, as they remained
unabsorbed by July 2014. "At Lyamungu headquarters there
were 50,000 coffee seedlings remained unabsorbed, KNCU
came to rescue by buying all the seedlings in 2013! The
situation was the same in Kagera. Some of the growers
cannot afford to buy a seedling at 300/-," says the
researcher.
Dr Kilambo says some of the biggest challenges facing Ta-
CRI are lack of political will for a sustainable financial
support to TaCRI and admits that its impact is huge. "No
research institution in the world can become financially
sustainable without long term government financial
support.
Also multiplication and distribution of new planting
materials is viewed as a sole TaCRI's responsibilities by
other coffee stakeholders. "We request other stakeholders,
especially the district councils in coffee growing areas to
support in multiplication and distribution of improved coffee
varieties," says Dr Kilambo. Another challenge is dramatic
drop of coffee prices in some seasons that ends up seeing
the stakeholders' contribution drastically reduced.
Another one is loss of coffee germplasm collections. "Its
impact is immeasurable as Arabica and Robusta germplasm
collection are a treasure. If lost it would be a disaster," he
notes.
The Institute, however, has kept on well to provide a crucial
public service to stakeholders in the country's coffee
industry by providing coffee producers with relevant and
practical technological innovations and advice. It is that
which improves productivity and quality, enhances
profitability and livelihoods for coffee producers and
increases competitiveness of Tanzanian coffee on the world
market.