Pyrethrum has ready market in the US - board
Residents of Njombe District have been urged to cultivate more pyrethrum now that the government has improved access to international markets for this lucrative cash crop.
The call was made on Friday by Pyrethrum Board chairman Dr Binilith Mahenge at a rally held at Mabehewani in Makete District following questions from farmers.
The farmers had wanted to know how reliable the crop was as a source of income.
“Medicine to control various disease agents, including malaria parasites, and other pesticides all require pyrethrum as raw material,” Mahenge said.
He went on, “Cultivate the crop in large quantities; you’ll overcome poverty and enhance your living standards (as) there is a ready market.”
According to the chairman, US-based pesticide manufacturer McLaughlin Gormley King (MGK) alone has a strategy to buy 80 percent of global pyrethrum, providing a sure market for Tanzanian farmers, among others.
He said that financial institutions are willing to support pyrethrum farmers as they sit on a very valuable asset.
“People are ready to invest in pyrethrum, banks are ready to offer you loans,” Mahenge said, adding that these institutions will provide farmers with assistance provided they put their farms up as collateral.
Earlier, speaking to agents from Iringa and Mbeya, Mufindi Pyrethrum Factory manager Martin Oweka, said during the 2010/2011 agricultural season, his factory spent over 300m/- distributing pyrethrum seeds to farmers across the country.
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