Unlocking the potential of private seed companies to

commercialize beans seed in Tanzania: Experiences from bean

seed system project.

ByPapias H. Binagwa & Eunice Zakayo (Ministry of

Agriculture) Jean Claude Rubyogo, Fadhili Kasubiri, Sylvia Kalemera (CIAT Tanzania)

• Tanzanian farmers commonly cultivate 21 types of crops, clustered into 7 categorized under Food and Cash crops

GDP Crop Livestock Forestry & hunting

Contribution 24.1%

17.6%

4.6% 2.5%

Growth 3.1% 3.1% 2.4%

NAP, 2013; STI Report, 2015 & NBS database, 2016

ARUSHA

KILIMANJARO

TANGA

PWANI

LINDI

MTWARA

MOROGORO

RUVUMA

IRINGA

DODOMASINGIDA

MARA

MWANZA

SHINYANGA

KAGERA

KIGOMA

TABORA

RUKWA

MBEYA

ZANZIBAR

PEMBA

DAR ES SALAAM

MANYARA

Common bean production by region (as a % of total common bean production, 2007/08)

1%

9%

4%

12%

2%

0%

-

0%

0%

0%5%

7%

10%

2%1%

5%

7%

3%

19%

3%

4%

8%

>15%

10-15%

5-10%

2-5%

0-2%

None

Common beans in Tanzania • Africa produces 4.8 million MT per year and

approximately 70% produced from sub saharan Africa (SSA)

• Access to and use of certified bean seed by farmers in Tanzania remains unsatisfactory

• Seed supplied by Agricultural Seed Agency through NGOs

• Private seed industry did not sell bean due :

• Inadequate understanding of bean seed demands and marketing strategies

• Inadequate understanding of small holders bean seed demand

• Seed companies have limited interactions with research institutions

• Majority of farmers are not aware of new varieties and where to get them

• Opportunities :

• About 90% of seeds sown are farm saved which are susceptible to seed born pathogens

• Beans are increasingly a cash crop

• Differentiated bean market types and prices as result of market led breeding

-

200,000.00

400,000.00

600,000.00

800,000.00

1,000,000.00

1,200,000.00

Burundi Ethiopia Kenya Rwanda Uganda Tanzania

MT

SSA countries

Production SSA

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Burundi

Ethiopia

KenyaRwand

aUgand

aTanzan

ia

Productivity 661.70 1,588.9 585.30 891.40 1,300.6 982.50

-

500.00

1,000.00

1,500.00

2,000.00

Kg/

ha

Countries

Productivity 2015

FAOSTAT, 2015 & Ministry of Agriculture Report, 2015

Project description Unlocking the potential of bean

seed companies to reach smallholders with improved new bean varieties in Northern Tanzania

Understanding of bean seed market and actors.

Multi-stakeholders approach (linking NARS and users of bean research outputs)

Role of Tanzania in regional bean market/bean food

supply

Project Goal Contribute to food and nutrition

security, and incomes of smallholder

farmers in Tanzania, through

multiplication and equitable access to

quality seed of improved bean

varieties

Geographic coveragePartnership Partners Roles

SARI/CIAT

(Supported by

TLIII)

Breeder seed production

Skills and knowledge enhancement on

beans production for other actors

Training manuals

Systematic monitoring and evaluation

Bringing on board other technologies

Seed

producers

(ASA)

Basic seed production /marketing

Certified seed production /marketing

Identification of agro-dealers

MACTL/BEULA

/

AMINATA

Certified seed production and

marketing

Identification of agro-dealers

Agro-dealers • Host of demos/field days and

marketing of seeds in 2kg packs

LGA/FIPS Extension and mobilization of

community

Establish and management of demos

and field days

Specificities Sustainable bean seed systems

Support seed production forcompanies & encouragemarketing through agro-dealership network.

Build the capacity of seedcompanies to pack and marketaffordable (small) bean seedpacks ranging from 2 – 10kg.

Increase farmers awarenessabout use of improved beanvarieties

Key interventions Building Multi-Stakeholders in Seed

Systems

o linking agro dealers, farmers, publicand private companies.

Seed multiplication

Awareness and Demand Creation forImproved Bean Varieties

o Through demonstration plots

o Small packs

o Radio programs, leaflets, posters &field days

Strengthening Institutional andFarmers’ Capacity

o District officers & Agro dealers

Stakeholders inception meeting

GAPs & business training

Demonstrations

Agricultural exhibitions

Project success

PUBLIC SEED AGENCY/NARS SEED COMPANIES

Certified

AGRO-DEALERS -Certified seed

Whole sellers & Retailers

FARMERS Quality Declared Seed (QDS)

Basic

NARS: Breeder Seeds

Uyole: Selian

ASA: Uyole: Maruku Beula: Meru Agro: Agri-seed: Itente, southern highland growers & Aminata

North: Southern: Lake/West zone

ASA

END USERS/ BEAN GRAIN GROWERS

Seed business network

Mobile networking Transformation

0

20

40

60

80

Pro

ducti

on o

f com

mon b

ean

seed in

tons

Seed Companies

Number of seed companies 2016/2017

114

tons

Reaching the hard to reach farmers and

business opportunities for local agro- dealers

Market DaysMarket Locations

Agro –

dealers

selling seed

during

market days

Project success – 3 years

Increased production of certified seeds by >100% and its 34% marketed in small packs of 2kgs

36,480 farmers accessed certified seeds

522 demonstrations; 1,704 farmers participated on establishment of demonstration plots and its management while 6,750 farmers participated in field days and agricultural shows

Total of 13,188 leaflets and posters distributed

143 private and public extension officerscapacitated on dissemination ofagricultural technologies, GAP & marketlinkage across bean value chain actors

More than 100,000 farmers have beenreached through posters, demonstrationplots, field days and agriculture showsand are aware on importance and the useof improved seed

Several technologies have beenintegrated into the project throughpartnership with agro-input companiese.g.

Seed dressing chemical (Apron star) withSyngenta Tanzania

weed control chemical(Amazon) withBalton Tanzania

Lessons leant

Multi stakeholders approach is key

Joint identification of most preferred varieties (companies, agro-

dealers, farmers and researchers )

Demand creation carried out by value chain actors particularly seed

suppliers to understand the demand

Demand led breeding is key to generate varieties which are highly

demanded adopted by PABRA since early 2000 with USAID support -

Need to link seed supply to grain demand (varieties ) which is pull-

Rural penetration through rural entrepreneurs /agro dealers is very

key

As seed demand increase – the breeder and basic seed should be

beefed up

Opportunities Seed and grains market

Acceptability of small pack strategy (2kg)

Availability of improved and market bean

varieties

Expand the approach to other regions

New highly market demanded bean varieties

released 2018

Acknowledgements Government of the

United Republic of

Tanzania

USAID-AGRA

TLIII-BMGF

SARI

CIAT-PABRA

Farmers

Seed companies & NGOs

Tuskegee University