Releasing 2 New Mungbean Varieties in Tanzania

The collaborative research between the World Vegetable Center and Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) for improving mungbean productivity in Tanzania has finally culminated in the release of new mungbean varieties named TARI VEG GRAM-1 (AVMU 1601) and TARI VEG GRAM-2 (AVMU 1693).

The research was supported by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) through the International Mungbean Improvement Network and by the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).

The Tanzania Official Seed Certification (TOSCI) which is the government Institute under the Ministry of Agriculture established under the Seeds Act No. 18, 2003, is responsible for certification and promotion of quality agricultural seeds produced and imported into the country for sale to safeguarding farming community from poor seeds from vendors of farm inputs.

In December 2021, TOSCI through its National Performance Trial (NPT) – Technical committee recommended the above two varieties to the National Variety Release Committee (NVRC) for official release.

These varieties are attributed with higher productivity (>0.8t/ha), short maturity and disease resistance compared to the existing varieties.