by Marc Nkwame, Daily News
A programme aiming to assist banana and sweet potato growers in Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia in securing reliable markets was launched here, targeting to benefit nearly 100,000 families in Tanzania alone.
The four-year initiative dubbed ‘SeFaMaCo,’ short for ‘Seed-Farmer-Markets Consumer,’ funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will be implemented by the Farm Concern International (FCI) which also works in three countries.
Speaking at the official launch of the project, the SeFaMaCo programme manager, Mr Winston Mwombeki, said that the project is geared to boost production of the two crops in the targeted areas, adding that the programme will benefit a total of 94,000 households or about 500,000 people between them.
According to Mwombeki, the targeted regions for sweet potatoes under SeFaMaCo include Kagera, Mwanza, Morogoro and Zanzibar, while in Uganda the project will be implemented in Kamuli, Soroti, Gulu and Lira. In Ethiopia SeFaMaCo will make scene in Wolaita, Sidama and Gamogofa.
On the other hand, the aimed regions for bananas production and marketing include Kagera, Kilimanjaro, Arusha, Zanzibar, Morogoro for Tanzania while in Uganda it is to be applied in Mbarara, Isingiro, Masaka as well as Kabale.
Director of Crop Development at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives, Mr Twahir Nzallawahe called on farmers in the targeted regions to participate in the project due to its benefits, “This is a very unique project in Tanzania. I call on farmers to explore the opportunity.”
Farm Concern International’s Director for the African Region, Mr David Ruchiu, said they will tackle poverty through empowered farming and marketing initiative.
“We envisage a partnership which will translate into engaging hundreds of thousands of farmers as respectable value chain players in sweet potato and banana value chain in three countries,” Mr Ruchiu said.
He said food demand is increasing around the world; hence the need for Africa to produce 56 per cent of the food requirements by 2050.
Kilimanjaro Regional Commissioner (RC), Mr Leonidas Gama, hailed the project, saying it will give Tanzania an extra mileage, calling on smallholder farmers to chip-in and seriously embark into full production of banana and sweet potatoes because of its nutritious value and economic viability.
“It is high time Tanzanian farmers to explore skills and knowledge embedded in the project and acquire skills,” RC Gama said. An earlier statement from FCI, through its spokesperson, Ms Evershany Sway, indicated that for generations, East Africans have relied on particular crops for their staple diets.
Farm Concern International, which is a development agency and the programme will assess viable opportunities, barriers, consumer markets, sustainable innovations and understanding the business environment along the seed-farmer onto market-consumer value chain, targeting to revolutionise agriculture by synchronising efforts of seed suppliers, farmers, market and consumers to achieve better results than they otherwise would in their individual capacities.
Uganda and Tanzania are ranked first and second largest banana producing countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Sweet potatoes are described to be among the world’s most versatile, but under-exploited food crop with about 95.6 million tonnes of sweet potatoes being produced annually by ten leading producing countries. Uganda and Tanzania are listed in the second and fifth positions in achieving an annual production of 2.8 and 1.4 tonnes of sweet potatoes respectively.
Farm Concern International with over ten years’ experience specialises in the commercialisation of smallholder farmers and agropastoral communities.
Source: Daily News