New Seed Varieties Approved in Tanzania

A total of 26 new seed varieties have been approved for planting by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives of the Republic of Tanzania. The new varieties have improved resistance to drought and diseases, as well as shorter maturing periods and increased yield of two to three times than the other commercialized varieties.

According to Mohamed Muya, permanent secretary of the ministry, the seeds have passed the verification process and were certified by the National Seeds Committee. The newly approved seed varieties include nine varieties of maize, five varieties of Arabica coffee, four tea varieties, four varieties of cassava, and one each of barley, millet, and beans. The institutions involved in the development of the seed varieties were Tea Research Institute of Tanzania, the Tanzania Coffee Research Institute, the Agricultural Research Institute, Naliende Agriculture Research Institute, Agro-Training and Engineering, Pioneer Overseas Corporation, Monsanto Tanzania Limited, Meru Agro-Tours and Consultants, and Tanzania Breweries Limited. Planting of the new seed varieties will start in the next farming season.

"We can now confidently say from now, henceforth Tanzania is to record bumper harvests and therefore food security in the country will always be assured," said Muya.

Read more at http://thecitizen.co.tz/news/4-national-news/18900-26-seed-varieties-approved.html.