Saturday, 21 August 2010 – High cost in land survey has been termed as an impediment to farmers’ economic development in the country.
Speaking during a meeting with agricultural stakeholders in Kigoma on Thursday, the chairman of Kanyovu Cooperative Union of coffee farmers from Kigoma and Kasulu districts, Mr Yahaya Mahwisa, said most farmers in the country could not afford the cost and are therefore left out from the current means of raising capital.
He said failure by the farmers to pay land surveying expert’s means that they can’t have title deeds to the land they own to be able to get loans from the financial institutions.
“We farmers are doomed to stay poor for the rest of our lives despite the fact that we have the resources due to numerous barriers which deny us access to loans that can help us improve our lives as opposed to other sectors of the economy,” he said.
Mr Mahwisa said farmers have the land which they can’t use as security to financial institutions because for it to be accepted as security; it must have a title deed something which many farmers fail to get given the existing cost.
He said if the impediment is removed, farmers will have title deeds which will allow them to access loans from financial institutions; and hence buy better agricultural inputs and establish small industries which shall help to add value to their produce.
Source: The Citizen, Tanzania