An Action Plan for Developing Agricultural Input Markets in Tanzania

Source: Derived from FAO data.
Figure II.2. Fertilizer Consumption in Tanzania in Comparison With
Selected Developing Countries, 1991/92 to 2000/01
Table II.1. Tanzania: Cereal Production (1961 and 2001)
Source: Based on FAO data.
this has been attained more due to an increase in the
area cultivated (1.6 million ha additional area, increasing
at 2.1%/year) than due to increase in yields that
have grown by only 1%/year during this period. The
increase in area was brought about with the clearing of
forestland; this has serious consequences that can lead
to environmental problems. Therefore, there is a need
to increase crop yields per hectare to feed the growing
population. Table II.2 shows the area, production, and
50
yields of cereals in Tanzania.
The yields of almost all
the cereals have remained
stagnant during the 1990-
2002 period with an average
yield of cereals of 1.5 tons/
ha compared with a world
average of 3.0 tons/ha and
several countries obtaining
yields of 4-7 tons/ha. Of
this, maize is the main cereal
crop grown on about 1.6
million ha with a production
of 2.7 million tons. The
other cereals grown are sorghum,
rice, millet, and
wheat. In addition to cereals
there are a number of
cash crops that are grown in
Tanzania such as cashew,
coffee, cotton, pyrethrum,
tea, tobacco, sisal, and sugarcane
(Table II.3). There is
also considerable production
of tomatoes, potatoes,
onions, and bananas. The
potential demand for fertilizers
for all these crops is
about three to four times the
present use of about 120,000
product tons. The proper
and balanced use of fertilizers,
among other factors,
will be crucial to attain improved
yields and quality.
Based on MAFS data on
fertilizer consumption, urea
accounts for 29.2%; AS for
21.4%; CAN for 16.1%;
NPKs 6-20-18 and 101824 for 19.1%; DAP for 5.5%;
and TSP, MOP, and other NPKs for the balance of 8.7%
of the consumption during 1994/95-2002/03 (Table
II.4). MAFS estimated that the demand in 2003/04
would be about 185,000 tons 9 of all products with demand
for urea (80,000 tons) at 43% of the total as shown
in Table II.5. According to this estimate, Iringa (16.9%),
9 Actual fertilizer consumption in 2003/04 was 92,000 tons.