A TOTAL of 5,008 cotton farmers in Singida region have benefitted from modern crop’s planting skills training provided through Cotton Victoria Project (CVP).

Cotton Victoria Project (CVP) is a brainchild between the government of Brazil and the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) Ukiriguru Center.

Speaking during the farmer’s field day (FFD) held over the weekend in Mayaha village, Minyughe Ward of Ikungi in Singida Region, , the Director of TARI Ukiriguru Centre and CVP Coordinator Dr. Paul Saidia said the initiative has brought major transformation in the country’s cotton production corridors.

The project was introduced in the 2016/17 growing season in Mwanza region, before extended to Geita, Tabora, Katavi, Shinyanga, Simiyu, Kigoma, Morogoro, Dodoma, Singida and Morogoro regions.

Through the project, the coordinator detailed that the involved farmers have successfully succeeded in increasing production and productivity by 30 percent to 2,800kg per acre.

“We have managed to invent a useful planting machine, called Rafiki Planter, the facility which assists farmers with the easy planting process,” he unveiled.

“If using human power, one hectare is planted for three hours, but if using cows and mechanized tools, one hectare can be planted for one hour and 40 minutes respectively.

Juma Salum, the agriculture officer from the Tanzania Cotton Board (TCB) who supervises farmers in Mkalama and Iramba districts in the region expressed that the project has assisted the region to double annual production from 2 million Kilograms to over 4 million between 2022/23 and 2023/24 growing seasons.

According to him, the region is working on to harvest 50 million Kilogram by 2025.

Solo Lameck, the leading cotton farmer in Mayaha village said the project has assisted him to transform his cultivation scope and productivity.

“Formerly I used to cultivate very locally, whereby I used to get between 200 and 300kg but after being empowered by the Cotton Victoria Project currently I harvest between 150 and 200kg per acre,” he said.

The farmer added that through mentoring from the agricultural experts, they have learned on how to cultivate the crop organically.

“The project has transformed my economic status to the bright future, to the tune of enrolling my children at better schools, purchasing livestock and expansion of my cultivated land,” he unveiled.

Thomas Daudi, the Tanzania Cotton Board (TCB)’s Cotton Victoria Project Focal Point said the vision of the initiative provided training, technical assistance and demonstration plots to thousands of cotton farmers to boost yield.

On his side, Tawanda Mutonhori, the BioSustain Project Manager said the company is working to assist the cotton farmers adopt recommended organic practices, as well as relevant technologies.

Cotton is produced in 17 regions and 56 districts by 500,000 farmers, covering a total land of 1,000,000 acres, with the production estimated between 122,000 and 370,000 tons annually.