GEITA GOLD MINING DONATES SUNFLOWER SEEDS TO GEITA LOCAL AUTHORITIES

The Geita District Commissioner, Colonel Maghembe (centre) hands over sunflower seeds to a farmer Mhanda Juma (third left) with the help provided by Geita Gold Mining Limited (GGML). Witnessing the event is GGML’s Senior Manager for Sustainability, Gilbert Mworia (third right).

Geita Gold Mining Limited (GGML) has distributed 23 tonnes of sunflower seeds with a distribution of 13.8 tonnes in Geita District Council and 9.1 tonnes in Geita Town Council.

The support reflects GGML’s ambition to transform the agriculture sector in the communities surrounding the Mine since 2015 where most of the farmers relied on their smallholdings to mostly cultivate maize, cassava, groundnuts and raise livestock.

The seismic shift in the crops grown, following a special capacity building program as part of the Mine’s Environment Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives in the area to impart knowledge and best practices to small farmers, led to the introduction of sunflower farming under technical support by the Cholima Agriculture Institute, an agriculture research organization engaged by GGML.

Speaking during the ceremony to handover the sunflower seeds to Kasota famers in Geita District Council, GGML’s Senior Manager for Sustainability, Gilbert Mworia said that the Company had spent TZS 108 million to procure the sunflower seeds targeting 5,875 farmers from both Geita Town and District Councils.

“GGML aspires to benefit the host community by initiating sustainable projects which will outlast mining activities. We are delighted to distribute these seeds during the rainy season because this is the opportune time for farmers to start growing their seeds,” he said.

The Geita District Commissioner, Colonel Boniphace Maghembe commended GGML for the donation and called on Geita farmers to fully utilize the support in the current rainy season.

“Geita district has a population of 1.4 million people, and a large percentage of this population depends on agriculture. We have a very huge role to play by encouraging our farmers to practice modern agriculture methodologies because it can easily transform our economy. The climatic condition of this area allows farmers to cultivate twice a year, something which could maximize their harvests,” the DC said reminding farmers that agriculture is the backbone of the country’s economy.

Mr. Saa Kumi Makungu, a sunflower farmer at Kasota and Chairman of the NYABUSAKAMA cooperative society was delighted to receive the support saying it would improve their yield tremendously.

Whilst giving a brief historical reference in his remarks, Makungu revealed that sunflower crops had not yet been introduced in Kasota until 2015, following a joint capacity building initiative between GGML and Cholima Agriculture Institute.

Saa kumi further explained that varieties of record seeds from Agriculture Seed Agency have yielded wonderful results, producing between 12 and 18 litres of sunflower oil per 100 kilograms of sunflower seeds. With the demand for edible oil growing exponentially, the future for these farmers supported by GGML is bright.

AngloGold Ashanti – Geita Gold Mining Limited GGML has supported NYABUSAKAMA with two oil producing factory machines with capacity to process sunflower seeds at a very high speed. One machine processes the sunflower plant to get the seed and the second machine processes the seed to get the sunflower oil as its end product. The process only takes 25 minutes for 600 kilograms of sunflower seeds.