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MBARALI CLUSTER PROFILE
Mbarali cluster covers the regions of Songwe and Mbeya. It is located in the south-western corner of the southern highlands of Tanzania and lies between latitude 70 and 90 31’ south of Equator and between longitude 320 and 350 east of Greenwich Meridian. The cluster lies at an altitude of 450 meters above sea level in Kyela with high peaks of 2,981 meters above sea level at Rungwe. The cluster shares borders with Zambia and Malawi to the South, Rukwa Region to the West; Tabora and Singida Regions to the North; and Iringa and Njombe Regions to the East.
Agricultural Commodities in the Cluster
The different altitudes, varied climate conditions and the topology of Mbarali cluster enables it to produce over 50 agricultural commodities-both traditional cash/food crops to emerging crops such as cashewnuts. Some of the key produce in the cluster include: Paddy, Maize, Irish Potato, Sweat Potato, Tea, Coffee, Cocoa, Pyrethrum, Bananas, Sunflower, Ground nuts, Cassava, Finger Millet, Beans, Sesame, Wheat, Tobacco, Soya, Sugarcane, Pigeon Peas, Cassava, Yam, Ginger, Cardamom, Mango, Pineapples, Garden and cow peas, Green grams, Carrots, Avocado, Tomatoes, Onions, Cabbages, Eggplants, Pepper, Leafy Vegetables, Beef Cattle, Dairy Cattle, Goats, Pigs, Sheep, Poultry, Fish (Tilapia + Catfish), Guinea fowls, Turkey, Rabbits, and Guinea pigs. Paddy, Maize, Tomato, cattle, chicken and other leafy vegetables are found in all district councils with varying quantities
THE POTENTIAL PRIORITY VALUE CHAINS
Each of the district councils within the cluster have prioritized agricultural products. Their main criteria is influenced by the climatic conditions of the district councils as well as the current contribution of the commodity to the councils’ revenue basket but not necessarily on the potential for poverty reduction amongst the smallholder farmers.
The following commodities have been prioritized by different councils:
- Crops: Sunflower, Maize, Sesame, Paddy, Beans, Irish Potato, Coffee, Avocado, Ground nuts, Cashewnuts, Sweat Potato, Tobacco, Beans, Cocoa
- Livestock: Beef Cattle, Goat, Dairy Cattle, Chicken, Pigs
- Fishery products: Tilapia, Catfish
- Others: Bee Products-Honey and Bees wax.
Mbarali cluster Prioritized Value Chains
- i. Dairy
- ii. Sunflower;
- iii. Paddy/Rice;
- i. Poultry;
- ii. Round potato; and
- iii. Avocado.
Rice is a staple food in many countries of Africa and constitutes a major part of the diet in many others. In Tanzania, rice is the second most important food crop after maize. Official data (NBS 2018) indicate that the year 2016/2017 total production reached about 1.38 million tons and with average yields of 2.5 tons per hectare. Rice is grown in most regions of the country. Some regions such as Morogoro, Tabora, Mbeya, Mwanza and Shinyanga often produce surplus. It is estimated that 20 percent of farmers are involved in rice production.
Dairy Value chain
The dairy industry in Tanzania has gone through various stages of development. Pre and post- independence, dairying was practiced mainly in areas which had a conducive climate to enable production of sufficient milk and which had a potential market for milk such as Kilimanjaro, Arusha and Dar es Salaam. In the rest of the country milk produced was largely consumed within the rural areas and households. Despite the foregoing, the Dairy industry in Tanzania is still young but developing (MLDF, 2011). Current development strategies are aimed at modernizing and commercializing and make it more competitive. So far production of milk is mainly from indigenous cattle followed by improved dairy cattle. Current production can be classified to be solely for the domestic market, with a large raw/fresh milk purchase preference against processed dairy products.
Agricultural Commodities in the Cluster
The different altitudes, varied climate conditions and the topology of Mbarali cluster enables it to produce over 50 agricultural commodities-both traditional cash/food crops to emerging crops such as cashewnuts. Some of the key produce in the cluster include: Paddy, Maize, Irish Potato, Sweat Potato, Tea, Coffee, Cocoa, Pyrethrum, Bananas, Sunflower, Ground nuts, Cassava, Finger Millet, Beans, Sesame, Wheat, Tobacco, Soya, Sugarcane, Pigeon Peas, Cassava, Yam, Ginger, Cardamom, Mango, Pineapples, Garden and cow peas, Green grams, Carrots, Avocado, Tomatoes, Onions, Cabbages, Eggplants, Pepper, Leafy Vegetables, Beef Cattle, Dairy Cattle, Goats, Pigs, Sheep, Poultry, Fish (Tilapia + Catfish), Guinea fowls, Turkey, Rabbits, and Guinea pigs. Paddy, Maize, Tomato, cattle, chicken and other leafy vegetables are found in all district councils with varying quantities
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