15 PROBLEMS FACING THE FARMERS ON THE KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEME

kilombero irrigation scheme started in 1960 and it became a government parastatal called Sugar Development co-operation in 1968.

Today, it employs over 46,000 workers and it contributes 40% of the total sugar production in Tanzania.

It has mainly encouraged the development of out growers’ schemes.

Problems facing the farmers on the kilombero valley irrigation scheme

Diseases e.g. yellow wilt that destroys the sugarcane leading to reduced output.
Soil exhaustion due to monoculture leading to low output hence low export potential.
Leaching of soil due to the excessive water which leads to poor soils hence low productivity.

Pests e.g. snails which destroy the sugarcane hence leading to poor quality output.
Price fluctuation due to over production and competition with other sugar producing countries e.g. Uganda leading to low morale of farmers.
Shortage of labour especially during the harvesting period due to low population in the area.
Fire out breaks which destroy large parts of the farms leading to losses for the scheme.
Dangerous animals like snakes which scare away the farmers leading to labour shortage.

Presence of weeds which compete with sugarcane for water and soil nutrients leading to poor quality output.
Silting of the canals by floods which calls for regular dredging yet its very expensive.
It requires high capital investment to operate the scheme yet capital is not readily available.
Salinity of the soils due to excessive evaporation as a result of hot temperatures in the area.
Inefficient transport within the scheme which makes the delivery of sugar to the markets very difficult.
Natural hazards e.g. hailstorms and strong winds also destroy large parts of the scheme leading to losses.