BACKGROUND
MPUI AMCOS LTD originated from MPUI SACCOS LTD whereby the SACCOS Mpui Savings and Credit Cooperative Society is one of the farmers SACCOS in Tanzania.
It was officially registered on 31st May 2004 under the Cooperative Societies Act of No. 20 of 2003, which has now been repealed by the Cooperative Societies Act No. 6 of 2013.
The Founder members of the society were 24 of whom 21 were men and 3 women. On October 2020 the SACCOS bore MPUI AMCOS LTD with registration number RKR 598 under cooperative act Currently, members are 1,131 (877 men and 254 women) of which 336 are below 35 years (212 men, 124 women). Since its formation, it has only been dealing in Savings and provision of Credits to her members until in 2015/201 farming season until 2015.
From 2016/2017 farming season to date, the cooperative diversified into agriculture sector specifically in maize, beans, and sunflower sub-sector by providing GAP trainings to farmers, provision of agricultural inputs loans, aggregation and collective marketing of members’ produce and trading of crop with different buyers.
MPUI SACCOS office is in Mpui A village nearest to VEO’s office, approximately 52km2 south of Sumbawanga town off the Tunduma-Sumbawanga highway.
This is a farmers’ organization striving to increase members’ income through adoption of modern agricultural practices, post-harvest handling, and organized crops quality improvement and collective marketing.
Farmers of MPUI SACCOS focus on crops production and marketing as a means of increasing their individual incomes and ensuring availability of adequate food for their households and community at large
GEOGRAPHICAL COVERAGE AND OPERATION
The cooperative operates on Sumbawanga Rural at Mpui division that consist 20 villages; Mpui A& B, Ikozi, Ilembo, Ntumbi, Kalambanzinte, Tentula, Itela, Mkima, Kianda, Malolwa, Kapewa, Mtetezi, Mpwapwa, Katonto, Kazi kantonto, Mkunda, Laela, Lusaka, and Kaengesa on the value chain of Maize as the subsector.
ORGANIZATION CAPACITY
MPUI AMCOS Ltd is strong experienced in implement different business projects, managing banks loans and donor funded projects, provision of extension services and effectively managing of crops aggregation and collective marketing.
The cooperative has a vast experience in implementing farmers projects on maize subsector, for example, Mpui cooperative in partnership with UN-WFP on the project called Farm to Markets Alliance (FtMA) with other stakeholders such as BRiTEN, YARA-Tanzania, Seedco, Syngeta, HELVETAS, CSDI, USADF, AGRA, NMB and TADB provided with extension services (GAP and Post-harvest trainings) to 1,131 farmers on maize farming and linkage to profitable collective market.
The project resulted in improvement of crops quality and an increase of yield per acre from producing 5 bags/acre to 25 bags/acre (108Kgs each bag) to date on maize value chain.
Effective Marketing of crops: Having sold more than 10,000MT of premium-quality maize grain from 2017 up to date, MPUI has demonstrated a proven capacity to secure large-scale, high-margin contracts and grow its market within and outside of the country.
The cooperative has already traded with large markets such as Musoma Food Co. Ltd, National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA), Apeck International, Rainbow Agribusiness, and African Improved Food (AIF).
Currently, the cooperative is already investing in sunflower crop by working with Nondo Investors Co. Ltd in order to increase productivity of the crop by providing extension services to farmers through establishment and management of demonstration plots of sunflower crop whereby 9 demos have already been established in 7 villages.
ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE
MANAGEMENT AND OWNERSHIP
Mpui SACCOS LTD is a farmers-based cooperative that deals with Savings and Credit to her members and facilitating agricultural inputs loans provisional, market linkage, collection, storage and selling of farmer’s produce, and agronomy services.
The cooperative is 100% owned by the individual active 1,131 members who lives in Mpui division that consist of 20 villages. The value of 1 share is TZS 10,000, the minimum number of shares per each member is 5 shares with value of TZS 50,000, and the maximum (limit) number of shares is 10 with value of TZS 100,000.
BOARD MEMBERS
Cooperative is managed by the 5 Board members forming the management who report to the Annual General Meeting.
The board takes overall responsibility of the organization. The Board is also responsible for ensuring that system of internal control and policies and procedures operate well.
The highest decision- making is Annual General Meeting where all member does unanimous decision.
THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE COOP (Hezron Mwakajoka)
The organizational is benefiting from a very capable, experienced management & governance team under the Chairman Mr. Hezron Mwakajoka, who has over 30 years on agribusiness, cooperative and industry experience.
He has vast experience servicing on farmers’ cooperative.
Mwakajoka co-founded Mpui cooperative in 2004 and has been the cooperative Board chairman on different period and from 2018 up to date He is Co-operative Chairman.
He has been extremely instrumental in developing and implementing the business road map that has placed AMCOS on the top list of trusted cooperatives in Rukwa region.
Mwakajoka is overseeing all governance issues, contracts, market systems and client relations during implementation of the activities.