“It is hard to believe today I am remarkable
Polykarp with high respect from my surrounding community. Three meals are no
longer a problem I can feed my four children, mother and grandmother. I feel
proud passion fruits enables to implement my responsibilities as a head of the
family” Said Polycarp a passion fruits farmer.
Mr. Polycarp is 39 years old farmer residing
at Kibosho village. He is married to one wife with four children. Has inherited
4 acreage of land from his grand father and used to cultivate vegetative crops
like cucumber, green grizzles, egg plants and tomatoes which had very low
prices in the local markets.
“Due to low income in vegetative crops, I
explored an alternatives works in which most of them risked my life, I do
remember in 2005, I was artesian miner in Tanzanite in Merarani, Arusha. I stayed for more than 5 years working in heavy
duties but I earned very little, terrible enough, a lot of my friends died in
trenches. The causalities worried my family too much considering that with the
work I failed to support them financially”, Said Polycarp.
In 2013, FASO through VECO mobilized the group and
established passion fruits nurseries whereby seedlings distributed and best
agricultural trainings on pest and diseases control, spraying calendar,
fertilization and data recordings were provided to members
“ From 20I3 to 2015 I have transplanted the
total of 710 seedlings of purple passion whereby VECO Tanzania helps to increase
productivity and create new market opportunities for the produced fruits”
“I
sold more than 10,453 kilograms of passion fruits in the local and export
markets for an average price of 2500 per kilogram and earned more the total
26,132,500, also, I made 9,600,000 from sales of seedlings.
The revenue facilitated my wedding ceremony and sending
my daughter to technical college.
People who once did not believe this would work are asking me to help them.
“ Said Polycarp.
“The
main challenges are including inadequate agronomic techniques,
shortage of skilled labour, lack of infrastructure that complies with the market
standards, high cost and counterfeit inputs which make difficult to control
high incidence of diseases and pests. Quality is further compromised by
inadequate infrastructure such as grading sheds and cold rooms at farm level,
poor and insufficient irrigation infrastructure but we thank VECO now is
addressing some of the major challenges”. Said Polycarp.
“In the three years I have been in farming, I have realized
that it is a rewarding business. Sometimes, I look back and wonder where I
would be if I VECO and FASO had not supported us. I am happy.” Concluded Mr. Polycarp
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