TOBACCO farmers may soon have a reason to smile as the government starts to import 60,000 metric tons of NPK fertilizer for subsidized fertiliser to be distributed to tobacco growers.

Agriculture minister Hussein Bashe said after a brief signing ceremony here at the weekend that the Tanzania Fertilizer Co. (TFC) agreed with United Fertilizer Co. of Zambia to supply fertilizer right away, ahead of the 2024/2025 farming season.

He said the move will see farmers save at least five dollars per bag (7,500/-) from earlier prices per 50kgs bag, underlining that the company has long experience in supplying fertiliser to Malawi, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Its involvement will help to boost availability of fertilizer in shops, as just over 20,000 tonnes remain from last season’s stock, such that buying 60,000 tonnes from Zambia will stabilize the supply prospects, he stated.

The Zambian firm and TFC are seeking partnership to use Liganga coal to produce fertilizer as UFC already uses coal in fertiliser production, he said, noting further that the government has invited the firm to set up a factory in the country.

This will help it to do more business with Tanzania, which he said the company had expressed a favourable view, expressing interest for partnering with TFC for its NPK 10:18:24 type of fertiliser.

It is commonly used by Tanzanian farmers as well as urea, which can fairly easily be produced here due to availability of coal and natural gas, which cuts on the need to import fertilizer, while ensuring ready availability for farmers.

Samuel Mshote, the TFC general manager, said on his part that the total demand for the fertilizer stands at 91,000 tonnes, whereas a 21,000 tonnes consignment will be availed soon.

“We have started importation of the 61,000 tonnes load from Zambia,” he said, noting that distribution in different parts of the country was starting right away.  Farmers should expect the farm input on time as the planting season approaches, he said.

Tobacco is a seasonal crop and preparations ought to be conducted on time, he said, elaborating that at least 50 percent of the total fertiliser supply is in the country already, available at stores in Mbeya.

The currently available fertilizer has been passed by the Zambia Agriculture Research Institute (ZARI), the Tanzania Bureau of Standards( TBS) and other authorities, It was  tested and shown to be fit for use in the country, he added.