Important: This piece of information is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The contents of this product are the sole responsibility of Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA) and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
“Last year I planted onions in 0.3 hectares farm and harvested 63 bags, which I sold at US$40 each and earned US$2,520 , an amount which I never got in my previous businesses. After onions, I planted tomatoes in a plot of 0.4 hectares and got 600 boxes and sold them at price of US$ 7 per box and earned US$4,000. In total, I got US$6,222 in only two seasons. First thing I do after I get paid is to save enough for the next production season, pay school fees for my children and provide other basic needs for my family and myself,” explained Alfred Loibanguti.
“I am amazed to see these harvests. I used to earn US$ 75 from 0.4 hectares of tomatoes for the whole season, but now I earn up to US$ 2,727 per season from the same portion of land. After I adopted improved technologies and realized the benefits, I decided to multiply my income by expanding my plot from 0.4 to 2.43 hectares, and I started growing other crops like green pepper. I am so thankful that through farming I managed to purchase two cows at US$ 90 each, built a good house, my family eats a balanced diet, and I sent my two children to better schools,” said Faki Hanafi.
“In my first season I harvested 2,00kgs from a greenhouse of 30x8 meters, earning a profit of US$2,666 which I used to pay my daughter’s university fees and also to prepare for the new season, plus other home expenses, and also buying agro-inputs for the next season,” said Matilda Maeda happily.
“After joining TAHA and being trained on good agricultural practices, I earned US$4,444 in the same farm in 2016. I consider this a big success because I doubled my profit. The money I got I used for clearing my house bills and paying my children’s university fees,” said Tenende Mwakagile.
“It is very easy to use TAHA information system, since it enables me to prepare for the market before I harvest and gives me updates on prices and where to sell my crops thus preventing me from over-budgeting. I am enjoying doing horticultural business because I have all the information on my fingertips, this means no more hassles in finding markets for my harvests. Before I joined TAHA, I struggled a lot to access market information and the process wasted a lot of my time. I spent a lot of time finding markets, the markets which were not reliable, and I was forced to sell produce because I had no option. Thanks to TAHA for inventing TIS,” elaborated Pamela
“The orange fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) business has made me famous in Arusha town. I sell a range of OFSP products such as flour, crisps and juices. I care about children and mothers, that is why I promote this product which is rich in Vitamin A. Most women attending Old Arusha clinic get the opportunity to learn from me about the importance of Vitamin A. TAHA helped me with processing training and I do appreciate their work.”