Posted on August, 27, 2019 at 09:17 am
BUKOBA District Commissioner (DC), Deodatus Kinawiro, has appealed to farmers in Kagera Region to focus on agribusiness cultivation of quality banana, which has attractive price in East African Community (EAC), markets.
The DC made the appeal recently during a Farmers’ Field Day held at Izimbya Ward, in Bukoba Rural District, adding that those who attended the event should be ambassadors to others.
Expounding, Mr Kinawiro noted that Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) election manifest identifies the importance of the agriculture sector, which they should embrace.
“The fifth phase government under President Dr John Magufuli is keen on improving lives of majority Tanzanians,” said the DC.
During the exhibition, several investors from neighouring countries expressed readiness to increase trade relations with Tanzania as they thanked Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank (TADB), for providing the farmers with loans.
On his side, Banana Agronomy Project Co-ordinator, Dr Mpoki Shimwela said that the four-year programme was aimed at increasing the crop production, after the outbreak of Banana Wilt Disease (BWD), that discouraged some.
According to Dr Shimwela, the project was launched in 2017 with Izimbya Ward being the pilot case study before it extended to six other Wards of Kyaitoke, Kaibanja, Kikomero, Mugajwale, Rubale and Ruhunga.
In the course, about 4,000 farmers out of the targeted 5,000 (80 per cent) have been covered by the program. Reached for a comment, one of beneficiaries, Yazid Said from Butulage village, said that before joining the program, he used to get an average of five banana bunches per week, but now harvest 20- 30 bunches on weekly basis.
“With proper crop husbandry, I have managed to increase production to 75 per cent and now capable of maintaining my family, “he said. Presiding over as the guest of honour, Tanzania Ambassador in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Lt Gen (rtd) Paul Meela, invited more investors and traders to exploit the opportunities in the Great Lakes region by constructing Five Star Hotels.
He noted that available opportunities in the country with a population of 81 million people would provide them with ready market.
Earlier visiting the area, the Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa also invited investors both local and foreign to invest in the region by constructing medium and large industries in the politically stable Tanzania.
He said that Kagera was strategically sharing borders with four countries-Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and Kenya across Lake Victoria with a population market of 190 million.
“Investing in agriculture and industrialization is very crucial for the development of East African people and the whole region. No region in the world has ever been industrialized without transforming its agricultural sector.
“Agriculture goes hand in hand with industry, manufacturing to sustain economic development, which creates wealth throughout the economy,” he added.
Source: Daily News