The government of Tanzania has called on increased role of both the public and private institutions to enhance research, production, promotion and distribution of biofortified crops right from the household to the national level to increase consumption of the crops as part of the strategy to arrest malnutrition in the country.
It has also directed (Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) and seed companies to make sure that the biofortified seeds are produced in large quantities and sold at affordable price so that many low income farmers can afford them.
The directive was given by Director - Food Security, in the Ministry of agriculture Dr Honest Kessy, on behalf of the Minister for agriculture, Japhet Hasunga, when launching the commercialisation of biofortified crops project in Dodoma recently. The project, to be jointly implemented by the government, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and HarvestPlus intends to increase production of biofortified seeds and grain, processing and consumption of biofortified crops among consumers in Tanzania, focusing on High-rich Iron Beans (HIB) and Pro Vitamin A Maize (PVA).
The launch, organized by GAIN and HarvestPlus in collaboration with the government, attracted senior government officials, the private sector, NGOs, researchers, processors, cooperatives and other stakeholders, who will be key in the implementation of the project.
The government of Tanzania in collaboration with other stakeholders has already released four varieties of biofortified crops, two beans varieties that contain high levels of iron and zinc, have higher yielding that will help to address the problem of malnutrition in the country. These nutritious beans and maize will also be part of the solution to fight hidden hunger.
“The beans are also suitable for physical and cognitive development of our people and children in particular “We already have seeds, funds are available through this project, what we need is to work hard by commercializing these biofortified crops,” said Dr Kessy.
He said producers of biofortified seeds such as pro-vitamin A Maize, Beans and Orange Fleshed Sweet Potatoes (OFSP), processors and traders have to play their key role of ensuring that nutritious food reach consumers across the country.
The main essential vitamins and mineral deficiencies in Tanzania are Vitamin A, folic acid, vitamin B12, iodine, iron and zinc. In Tanzania, nutrition is an issue of national importance because good nutrition is both a desired outcome for ensuring optimal human health, as well as a key determinant of development, for the individual and for society in general. Obviously, malnourished people are not as productive as they could otherwise be; for example, a malnourished child does not have the same attention in school as a well-nourished peer and will not gain the same education; and malnourished adults cannot work as productively as well-nourished peers, with consequences for their incomes and, in turn, the national income. Nutrition is therefore important for us as a country to achieve our industrialisation agenda.
According to Tanzania National Nutrition Survey 2018, approximately 31.8 percent of children under age 5 years are stunted (short for their age); 3.5 percent are wasted (low weight for height) and 14.6 percent are underweight (low weight for age) and about 28 percent of women of reproductive age (age 15-49 years) are anemic.
To address micronutrient deficiency, GAIN has been working closely with the government and its partners to support the National Multi-sectoral Nutrition Action Plan 2016/21, which was launched in September 2017. GAIN offers high-quality know-how on transforming food systems to improve the consumption of nutritious and safe food for all people, especially those most vulnerable to malnutrition.
The launched commercialization of biofortified crop project will work closely with all important players in the value chain, including seed producers, grain producers, aggregators, processors and retailers. The project will reach the market through two pathways: institutional pathway, notably government and private schools capitalizing on school feeding programmes in response to the government directive by the Minister of State, President’s Office, Regional Administration and Local Government, in which schools are required purchase and feed the students/pupils with biofortified foods where available. The second pathway is through the normal market channel in which raw and/or processed biofortified maize and beans will be sold in the market.
A representative from Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG) Eng Enock Nyanda said that the government recognizes the role played by development partners as well as the private sector. The policy states very clearly the need for collaboration with the private sector and other partners such as GAIN and HarvestPlus to enhance nutrition agenda in the country. In private sector, there is capital, knowledge, technology, innovation and human resource, he noted.
“We have given partners and the private sector chance to contribute to the national economy and individual income. The nutrition issue is very important. For the nation to develop, its people must be healthy,” he said.
He called for the district council to work closely with the partners and the private sector and direct enough resources for nutrition to fight against malnutrition. For the Commercialization of Biofortified Crops project, he emphasised the importance of regions where the project will be implemented, to fully support GAIN and HarvestPlus during implementation.
Assistant Director in the Prime Minister’s Office, Devota Gabriel said that nutrition issues are being implemented through ASDP II and the National Multisectoral Nutrition Action Plan (NMNAP), calling for all stakeholders to effectively play their role in the fight against malnutrition.
Principal Education Officer in the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, Hilda Mkandawile, explained that as main stakeholders in the development of human capital, the Ministry recognizes that a well-nourished, healthy workforce is a pre-condition for sustainable development.
“Deficiencies in essential nutrients is a challenge to individual and the nation. We are in the final stages to complete new guideline for school feeding program. We are working closely with the Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG). As you commercialize these biofortfied crops, I call upon all stakeholders to lower the price of these crops so that our students, both boarding and day scholars, can afford them,” she said.
A representative from the Ministry of Industries and Trade, Festo Kapela, said the Ministry through Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS), will cooperate with different producers and manufacturers to ensure the food produced and other value chains are safe and meet the required standards.
Kapela who is a Trade Officer explained further that the ministry has created conducive environment to ensure small and medium enterprises advance their works comfortably including facilitating business licenses so that they can advance nutrition agenda.
TARI’s Director of Research and Innovation, Dr Evelyn Rukonge who represented the Director General, Dr Geoffrey Mkamilo, commended the efforts taken by GAIN and HarvestPlus to improve nutrition in the country insisting that this initiative will help build a better food system in the country.
TARI has released many improved seeds and has gone far into value chain but what we have been lacking is the market aspect. So, through this project, we believe that things will go well,” she said.
“TARI will continue working with farmers, producers and seed companies to produce and disseminate improved seeds that tolerates drought and diseases as we have been doing to other crops. We have TARI centers in Uyole and Selian that have played a key role in biofortified crops particularly on beans and maize,” she explained.
The Executive Director for Sokoine University Graduate Entrepreneurs Cooperative (SUGECO), Revocatus Kimario, thanked the government for the trust and confidence in the youth but called on more education and awareness campaigns especially placing biofortified video clips in the commuter and upcountry buses to reach out more Tanzanians easily.
GAIN Tanzania Senior Advisor, Food System Transformation, Obey Nkya said that already groundwork has been done by the government in collaboration with other stakeholders to address malnutrition and in particular a good foundation on biofortification is already in place.
Citing an example, he said through Building Nutritious Food basket (BNFB) project which commenced in November 2015 and ended in October 2018, the government managed to release four biofortied crops beans and Maize.
Building Nutritious Food Baskets (BNFB) was testing a scaling-up model through a multi-crop (“food basket”) approach to contribute to the reduction of hidden hunger by catalyzing sustainable investment for the production and utilization of biofortified crops.
“Therefore, Commercialization of Biofortified Crops project is contributing to the government plans and strategies such as ASDP II and NMNAP, and it builds up on the previous BNFB project to produce high reach iron beans and Pro Vitamin A maize at scale, aggregate, process and ensure that these biofortfied crops reach the consumers,” he said.
“The government has done well so far in the fight against malnutrition, but some challenges still exist. GAIN and HarvestPlus will work with researchers, producers, seed companies processors and other stakeholders to strengthen nutrition in Tanzania.
