FINLAND IN ZANZIBAR HORTICULTURE PARTNERSHIP

Finland has partnered with the Tanzania Horticulture Association (Taha) to exploit the horticultural potential of the Zanzibar Isles.

Taha executive director Jacqueline Mkindi said the three-year, $980,000 project will include construction of a $300,000 cold storage facility in Unguja, as well as collection centres for horticultural produce on Unguja and Pemba islands.

“The programme’s objective is to have infrastructure that gives farmers better access to domestic, regional and international markets,” Ms Mkindi said.

Targeting more than 8,000 small-scale farmers, the project will give processors in Zanzibar access to quality packaging for fresh produce meant for export.

Zanzibar’s Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources Sira Ubwa Mamboya said many farmers on the islands are involved in subsistence horticultural farming, and are keen to commercialise their output.  

“We need technical support to take horticultural farming to the next level and grow the Zanzibar economy,” Dr Mamboya told The EastAfrican.

READ: $2m project to help farmers get the fruit of their labours

Ready market

Zanzibar’s tourism industry, which attracts over 200,000 visitors annually to more than 200 hotels, provides a ready market for horticultural produce.

“There is high demand for fresh produce like tomatoes, onions, Irish potatoes, bananas and oranges,” the minister said. 
Data shows that each hotel spends an average of $38,000 every year on vegetables and fruits.

Currently farmers in Zanzibar supply only 20 per cent of the horticultural produce demand, with 80 per cent sourced from outside. The project will help farmers embrace good agronomy practices to boost their production.

Tanzania’s Minister for Agriculture and Co-operatives Christopher Hizza said horticulture is the fastest growing sub-sector of the economy, with an average growth of 11 per cent per annum over the past six years.

The East African