Rizoliq Soy, a liquid rhizobia inoculant for soybean with the highest quality standards recently gained approval by local authorities to be commercialized in Tanzania. Behind this achievement is a recent public-private partnership between Rizobacter and IITA Tanzania, mediated by N2Africa. Through this accomplishment the firm continues to strengthen its position in Africa.
The registration process concluded in September this year but started in 2016, when through N2Africa’s assistance Rizobacter was able to partner with IITA Tanzania to facilitate local testing, which was coordinated by Dr Freddy Baijukya. This association was fundamental to generate the requested data and obtain the final ‘green light’ from authorities. After a few months of dossier analysis the product was approved and the registration certificate issued.
Inoculant and seed are key inputs for soybean cultivation, and both are required at sowing by growers. This is why Rizobacter has found in Seedco an ideal counterpart for the future development of the Tanzanian soybean market. FIPS Africa have a small ‘army’ of VBAs (Village Based Advisors), 1,600. Out of these 450 operate in soyabean producing Districts. Working closely with this team will spearhead awareness and adoption of this new technology to smallholder farmers in Tanzania. The association between both firms and support of FIPS Africa, is elemental towards offering a bundle composed by the highest-yielding, locally-adapted soybean varieties and the most reliable and efficient rhizobia inoculant.
Inoculant availability remains a challenge in Tanzania and many parts of Africa, but it is through this kind of collaboration and systemic approaches that legumes can become a profitable option for smallholder farmers.
Further enquiries?
Contact:
Rizobacter’s Regional Manager in Africa, Ignacio Ardanaz (iardanaz@rizobacter.com)
Rizobacter’s Consulting agent in East Africa, Joe Iracha (joe.iracha@freshcare.africa)