Review of Fertilizer Use by Crop and by Product Tanzania
Date
2018-06
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Abstract
The AfricaFertilizer.org (AFO) has been facilitating exchange of information about soil fertility, fertilizers and good agricultural practices (GAP) in Africa with the support of IFDC, IFA, AFAP, FAO, and the Africa Union Commission and its NEPAD Agency since 2009. The first component of the AFO program aims at improving access and availability of essential fertilizer statistics in Africa on production, trade, consumption, production capacities and fertilizer use per crop, with a special emphasis on real consumption (as opposed to apparent consumption) and fertilizer use by crop data (FUBC). The importance of improving access and availability of essential fertilizer statistics in Tanzanian has driven to the undertaking of the consultancy work that has provided best estimates of current (national) fertilizer consumption and FUBC statistics. The overall objective of the work was to update the 2014 - 2016 Fertilizer consumption statistics and report on National consumption and Fertilizer Use by Crop (FUBC) for Tanzania for the periods 2014/15 to 2016/17. This has been the basis of creating a database on fertilizer use that requires putting together available data and collecting missing data from various sources including literature survey and interviews with relevant stakeholders. The consultant, prior to finalizing this report had an opportunity to collect and share information with Inputs Section and Statistics Section staff of the Ministry of Agriculture (MA) and the Monitoring and Analyzing Food and Agricultural Policies (MAFAP) team which was also looking at fertilizer price build up. Furthermore, the consultant visited the Tanzania Fertilizer Company (TFC), the Fertilizer Society of Tanzania - Private Fertilizer Manufacturers, Importers and Exporters), the Tanzania revenue Authority (TRA) and had discussions with the Director of Policy and Planning and the Director of Crop Development. This report provides information on fertilizer data for 2014 – 2016; updates on the agricultural sector; agricultural policies and trade environment; fertilizer trade trends and developments; calculation of fertilizer consumption by crop and type of fertilizer; calculation of Fertilizer Use by Crop (FUBC); reviewed fertilizer recommended application rates; Actual Application Rate (AAR) of fertilizers by farmers; observed gaps during data collection and how to deal with missing data. During the study, the consultant revealed the following: (a) Area under cultivation for all crops was not the same from one year to another (2014 – 2016) as there has been some significant changes leading to different levels of fertilizer demand and use by farmers. (b) Fertilizer demand, availability and utilization in Tanzania is very low when compared to the total demand as recommended by the Department of Research and Development of the Ministry of Agriculture. Fertilizer requirements for 2014 was 3,688,685 Metric Tons, 2015 (4,023,169 Metric Tons) and 2106 (3,688,897 Metric Tons) as compared to the apparent consumption of 301,120 Metric Tons (2014), 249,389 Metric Tons (2015) and 330,880 Metric Tons (2016) respectively for major crops as indicated in Appendix VI. (c) Fertilizer imports reached 417,242 MT (2017) as compared to 371,256 MT (2016) a 12 percent increase. (d) Apparent Consumption of fertilizers has been on increase from 249,389 Metric Tons in 2015 to 349,491 Metric Tons in 2017. This is an increase by 5% from 333,631Metric Tons in 2016. (e) Despite the fact that apparent consumption been on increase, the real consumption of fertilizer by farmers were 288,100 MT (2014), 267,037 MT (2015) and 289,687 MT in 2016. (f) Exported fertilizers have increased by 95% from 44,837MT (2016) to 87,510 MT (2017) 2 | P a g e Otherwise, efforts are required in order to improve agricultural productivity for increased economic growth, reduce rural poverty, improve food security and recognize the crucial role of improved fertilizer use by farmers in additional to other productivity enhancing inputs to meet national targets.
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Keywords
Agricultural sector, Smallholder farmers, Agricultural policies