By The Respondent Reporter
Agriculture Minister Hussein Bashe has encouraged maize farmers in Ruvuma to store low-quality maize, including maize husks, as the government works to secure markets for these products to be used as livestock feed. Minister Bashe made this announcement during his visit to the Kizuka Maize Purchase Centre in Ruvuma on September 18, 2024.
During the visit, farmer Nicodem Mayo shared his experience, noting that out of the 340 bags of maize he harvested, 40 were kept for his family's use, while 300 were brought to the Kizuka Centre for sale. However, he pointed out that 10 to 15 bags contained low-quality maize that could not be sold.
Other farmers revealed that they usually give away the husks and low-quality maize for free or use it to feed their livestock, such as pigs. Some humorously mentioned that they “bribe” rats with the damaged maize to prevent them from destroying their crops.
In response, Minister Bashe assured the farmers that the Ministry of Agriculture would seek markets for the substandard maize to be used as animal feed. He advised the farmers to separate the husks from the damaged maize into different bags to simplify the process once markets are secured.