Sisal Production and Soil Fertility Decline in Tanzania

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Abstract
Sisal was a major foreign exchange earner for Tanzania in the 1960s, when annual production was 234 000 tonnes, or one-third of the world output. But by the mid 1980s, it was down to 30 000 tonnes, due to a decline in the area under sisal and in the yield per hectare. Sisal cultivation decreased because of low prices following competition with synthetic fibres, and productivity fell because of poor husbandry — specifically, continuous cultivation without fertilizer applications. There has been renewed interest in sisal cultivation since the mid 1980s, but the successful rehabilitation of old sisal plantations depends on good management of soil fertility, amongst other factors.