RATIN

Government assures reliable market to farmers

Posted on September, 18, 2019 at 09:32 am


THE government has assured farmers of reliable markets to their produce as production soars in strategic crop producingregions.

Chief Agricultural Officer in the Ministry of Agriculture Mr Sadoti Makwaruzi told paddy farmers here that the government has been holding discussion with a chain of business people to develop what it calls a “market network” but insisted the network may only be active with commitment from them.

“We have been discussing with businesscommunity to provide reliable markets, but we will need farmers to ensure they provide sufficient information as soon as the initiative takes off,” he said.

The farmers attended a meeting, which brought together officials from the European Union, Ministry of Finance and Planning as well as the Ministry of Agriculture. The officials were on tour of the Union’s funded Rice Post-harvest Management (RIPOMA).

Ripoma commonly referred to empowering smallholder women and youth farmers on rice post harvest management and marketing.

Ripoma has been working in the region targeting to improve agricultural practice, market systems, financial services and investment in postharvest infrastructures.

About 25 percent of the national rice production comes from Mbeya and Morogoro regions.

But two studies conducted by Helvet as in central corridor regions, Morogoro being included revealed that rice farming was dominated by substance farmers counting more than 75 percent.

Source: Daily News