Small scale farmers cultivating maize, palm oil, banana, cabbage and tomatoes in Kigoma Region have a reason to smile after securing a big market for the crops in Burundi.
This was revealed yesterday by Chairman of Kigoma based Women Platform, Doroth Takwe, at the just-ended meeting between chairpersons of nine platforms and the Tanzania Women Chamber of Commerce (TWCC). The other platforms are Tunduma, Sirari, Mtwara, Kigoma, Holili, Mutukula, Namanga and Mwanza.
She said the market was obtained last week through the Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (TCCIA) during a trade visit that was conducted by businessmen from Burundi to Kigoma Region.
Before they met with women from the Kigoma based Women Platform, they convened with the TCCIA leaders and told them that they are looking for people who can work together to do businesses from the region to Burundi.
The discussion between businessmen from Burundi, TCCIA and women from Kigoma based Women Platform on how to implement the initiatives was held last week at the Kigoma District Commissioner’s office.
“As women from Kigoma platform including small scale farmers we express thanks to TCCIA for linking us with the Burundi market. Right now there is a large and growing market for maize, cabbages, banana, tomatoes and palm oil in that country,” she noted.
Apart from that Burundi Embassy in Tanzania has vowed to support the farmers and businessmen who will be ready to export their produce.
“We express thanks to the embassy for agreeing to support us so that we can export the produce,” she said, noting that the market will help the farmers in Kigoma Region to reduce post-harvest food and fruits waste,” she said.
Banana, palm trees, cassava, tomatoes, maize, pawpaws, pineapple, vegetables including other perishable fruits are the main crops grown in Kigoma Region, she said, noting that at least 60 percent of fruits and food produce are wasted on the farms.
Elaborating on what has been achieved through UN Women and TWCC support, she said, they conduct business in a conducive environment and Belgium embassy in Tanzania has vowed to support them in –terms of irrigation farming project.
Presently a discussion on how to implement the irrigation farming project has been made between the Kigoma based women platform and the Belgian Embassy in Tanzania, she said noting that the discussion was held on June 26, this year.
To meet the said initiatives, right now they have already started to install pipelines that would supply water across the region.
According to her, the initiative is from TCCIA and TWCC after they had identified that “we are well-organised and the platform that we have is very strong and women are very serious on what they do”.
Apart from that the training that we have received from TWCC has helped them to set up Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizations (Saccos),” she said.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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