By ADAM IHUCHA --
Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA) plans to bring its services in Mbeya, in an effort to unlock the horticultural potential in Southern highlands.
Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA) plans to bring its services in Mbeya, in an effort to unlock the horticultural potential in Southern highlands.
TAHA board chairman,
Colman Ngallo informed 40 civic leaders from Mbeya district council who were on
official tour in Arusha, to learn modern horticultural farming that, plans are
underway to bring the association’s services close to them.
“Our priority now is
to open the office in Mbeya in order to make the President Jakaya Kikwete dream
of transforming this area into horticultural giant into a reality” Mr Ngallo
said.
TAHA chief was
optimistic that with the operationalization of multi-million-dollars Songwe
international airport (SIA), Southern highlands now has all it takes to become
the major exporter of horticultural products.
Vice-chairman for
Mbeya rural district council, Mr Mwalingo Kisemba said that a number of farmers
are involved in subsistence horticultural farming, but they are keen to
commercialize their undertakings.
“We need TAHA to
support us to take this lucrative horticultural farming to next level in a bid
to stimulate the economy” Mr Kisemba said.
Precisely, he said,
the farmers need to be taught on the best horticultural farming practices,
linked to the international markets and the markets requirements.
Mbeya rural district
alone has about 16,072 hectors suitable for horticultural farming, Mr Kisemba
said, adding that with the TAHA expertise, they hope would be productive.
TAHA Executive
Director, Ms Jacqueline Mkindi told the strong delegation that if the farmers
would embrace good agronomy practices, they would be able to bolster their
production from 10 bags of onions per acre to 200 bags.
Ms Mkindi said that
southern highlands is now at the heart of TAHA’s strategic plan that, among
others, targets to boost the fresh produce volume for domestic and exports
markets.
“Southern highlands
has more than what it takes to become a major horticulture exporter in the
country” she explained.
Ms Mkindi said its
large size and varied topography provides ideal water, soil and climate
conditions for a complete range of horticulture products, from temperate
highlands ideal for European flowers and vegetables, to tropical lowland zones
ideal for warm-climate fruit and flowers.
“It also has a large
network of rivers with significant irrigation sources. Labour costs are also
among the most competitive and the area boasts of good air-cargo infrastructure
precisely, Songwe airport, which provides crucial connections to key markets”
she noted.
TAHA has played a
crucial role in representing a multi-million-dollars industry by providing
technical guidance to farmers, advocating for policy changes, and promoting
Tanzanian horticulture products locally and abroad.
The sub-sector also employs nearly 350,000 local people, mostly unskilled women labour which others sectors do not prefer.
The sub-sector also employs nearly 350,000 local people, mostly unskilled women labour which others sectors do not prefer.
Available records show that, the ‘green gold’, earns
the second East African community (EAC) largest economy, nearly $354 million
annually.
However, the 2010
statistics from the United Nations Comtrade assumption of projections from 2010
to 2020 based on average annual growth rate of 25 per cent, Tanzania's
horticulture exports would earn $1000 million in 2018 and double in two years'
time to reach $1,850 million by 2020.
The figure also
suggests that more than one million Tanzanians will be working directly in
horticulture industry by 2020. The global demand of horticulture on the other
hand stands at $153 billion.
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