Arusha, Manyara growers trained for economically

THE Tanzania Horticulture Association has expressed commitment to help local growers secure markets for their various farm produce both in the country and for the overseas markets.

The chief operations manager for the Tanzania Horticulture Association (TAHA), Simon Mlay said   during an event to award certificates to farmers from Arusha and Manyara regions who had undergone special training on commercial farming, help to transform their agricultural activities from subsistence farming into more productive and economically viable endeavours.

The training dubbed ‘BUS’ which is the abbreviation of German’s words, ‘Boeren Unternehmen Schulung’ meaning ‘ Entreprenuer Training for Farmers, was organised by TAHA in collaboration with Andreas Hermnes Akademie (AHA) of Bonn, Germany, the Brussels based, Belgium international development organisation, Trias, and involved farmers
groups network from Arusha (MVIWATA-Arusha) and the Farmers groups network of Manyara (MVIWATA-Manyara).

Bart Casier, the country director for Trias Tanzania said the training will not only empower local growers to be more productive and making farming profitable, but also enable them to create mutual cooperation with other sectors outside the agriculture  sector in order to increase and strengthen their networks for the sector’s development.

Nicole Bolomey from AHA said the training for   farmers was of very high standard, which also served to make them trainers capable of impacting similar skills to other growers in their respective areas of work or precincts.

The Arusha Regional Administrative Secretary, Richard Kwitega was the guest of honour during the presentation of the certificates to the farmers held in Arusha. He was of the view that, most training sessions had always ended with certificates presentation and nothing more.

“I therefore challenge the participants of this particular training to ensure that, they put into practice what they had been taught instead of just displaying the certificates in their homes or offices,” he said.

“Because essentially farming is the backbone of the country’s economy, if you get people who are willing to train local growers for better production, then they are doing more than assisting farmers; they are helping the country to be more self-sufficient in food production and self-reliant economically,”   explained Kwitega.

Source: IPP Media