Research has its rewards, provided you are willing to wait. In the early 1990s AVRDC embarked on a project to develop tropical tomatoes for Africa with resistance to viruses, late blight and other diseases. These disease-resistant lines would need to tolerate hot, humid conditions; yield well; and have improved shipping qualities and shelf life to survive transport on rough roads.
The Center’s tomato breeders got to work, and by 1997, two AVRDC-developed tomato lines were released by the Tanzanian Horticultural Research Institute (HORTI-Tengeru) under the names ‘Tanya’ and ‘Tengeru-97.’ The new cultivars produced full-fleshed, juicy fruit suitable for eating fresh or cooked, and had thicker skins, which allowed the fruit to last up to three weeks at room temperature, unlike the commonly grown varieties Marglobe and MoneyMaker. With overall improved resistance to viruses, diseases and pests, ‘Tanya’ and ‘Tengeru-97’ were poised to take their place as Tanzania’s top tomatoes.
Their path to the throne illustrates the complexity of seed distribution and the need for the public and private sector to work in tandem to ensure farmers can obtain quality seed at the right time for the planting season.
On the seed circuit
AVRDC produced breeder and foundation seed of the two cultivars in Tanzania, and then joined a partnership with HORTI-Tengeru to multiply seed; a mechanical seed extractor from Taiwan improved the efficiency of seed extraction. The two institutions trained farmers in improved cultivation practices, and distributed seed kits. This activity generated interest in the new tomatoes and demand for seed among more farmers in Tanzania. The improved cultivars also were introduced to local seed companies, which began to scale up production to meet the rising demand.
Alpha Seed Company was quick to recognize the benefits of the improved AVRDC tomato lines.
Alpha Seed, in Moshi, Tanzania, was one of those companies. Owners Prof. Hussein and Mariam Mongi were early champions of ‘Tanya’ and ‘Tengeru-97’ who recognized the cultivars’ superior qualities and promoted their advantages to farmers in Tanzania. The couple had some compelling figures to share: The new cultivars produced 36% higher yield than old varieties, had 17% lower production costs, and resulted in a 39% increase in income.
Based on its good work in Tanzania, Alpha Seed won a bid from the Food and Agriculture Organization to distribute improved tomato seed in Uganda, Zambia, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This distribution strengthened demand for the two cultivars across eastern and central Africa, which prompted other seed companies to add them to their seed portfolios.
Today, most vegetable seed companies in eastern Africa sell ‘Tanya’ and ‘Tengeru-97’ throughout the region, and also market the cultivars in Malawi, Mozambique, South Sudan, and Zimbabwe.
In 2012 East Africa Seed Co. Ltd. produced about 9 tons (t) of seed of each cultivar, and sold the largest proportion in 2013. Alpha Seed Co. produced and sold 3-4 t of seed of each tomato. Africasia Seed Co. Ltd., was established in Arusha, Tanzania in November 2012. In its first seed production season, the company produced 2.5 t of ‘Tanya’ and 4.5 t of ‘Tengeru 97’, and sold about 1.5 t combined by October 2013. By April 2014 they estimated annual sales in 2013-14 of 5 t, and project that sales will double in 2015. At a sowing rate of 150 g of seeds per hectare, combined sales of these three seed companies translates to approximately 130-150,000 hectares of land in eastern and southern Africa planted with the AVRDC-developed cultivars.
The market for improved tomato, especially processing types, is growing rapidly in the region. Tanzania’s major tomato processor, Darsh Industries, has a production capacity of 50-100 t/day of tomato ketchup and tomato paste, yet must import 70% of its tomato pulp from China, as it cannot source enough locally to fulfill demand. Darsh is planning to add another processing facility in Iringa, central Tanzania to double its production capacity. The facility will be supplied with ‘Tanya’ tomatoes grown in the irrigated land of the Baobab ecozone. To ensure farmers will have seed of this preferred cultivar to plant, Darsh is separating ‘Tanya’ seed from the pulp it processes, which helps to scale up seed production and reduce waste.
Opening new markets for farmers
On the tomato processing line at Darsh Industries. The company needs a steady supply of tomato pulp to expand operations in Africa.
The market for improved tomato, especially processing types, is growing rapidly in the region. Tanzania’s major tomato processor, Darsh Industries, produces 50-100 t/day of tomato ketchup and tomato paste at its Arusha facility, yet must import 70% of its tomato pulp from China as it cannot source enough tomatoes locally to keep production lines open.
In November 2013 Darsh received a grant from Africa’s Agriculture Fast Track Fund to support planning surveys and assessments for a proposed USD 6.7 million investment in a new tomato processing facility in Iringa, central Tanzania. The plant will double the company’s production capacity.
To supply the new facility, Darsh will source ‘Tanya’ tomatoes grown by approximately 3800 smallholder farmers (40% of which are women) in the irrigated land of the Baobab ecozone. ‘Tanya’ offers the firmness, size, shape, color, uniformity and taste the company seeks in a processing tomato.
How to ensure farmers will have enough seed of this preferred cultivar? Darsh is separating ‘Tanya’ seed from the pulp it processes at its Arusha plant, helping to scale up seed production and reduce waste.
Read more:
DARSH Industries: http://redgold.co.tz/
Agriculture Fast Track Fund: http://http://www.aftfund.org/aft-awards-new-grants
