Dar es Salaam. Switzerland
has spent $3.5 million (Sh7.8 billion on strengthening Tanzania’s tourism
market linkages with agro-processors.
The
three-year programme aimed at upgrade locally produced and processed
horticultural commodities for consumption of foreign tourists in hotels.
“Under
the project, some agro-processors have penetrated local tourism markets for
value addition. Local tourist hotels have responded positively to the locally
upgraded products,” the Tanzania cluster coordinator of the United Nations
Industrial Development Programme (Unido) project for upgrading agro-processed products,
Mr Peter Donelon, told The Citizen on Tuesday here.
The programme is scheduled
to end nine months to come.
According
to him, since the plan has been successful Switzerland is ready to embark on
the second phase.
A
document has listed programme achievements such as having monthly earnings of
Sh200 million in tourist hotels, training Tanzanians, active participation of
100 hotels and restaurants, signing of 10 new contracts and participation of 35
supermarkets.
A
director in the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Alfred Mapunda,
told a meeting organised by Unido that the programme had come in the nick of
time because agro-processors had been facing challenges such as inadequate
capital, low marketing skills, negative perception of locally produced products
and poor storage facilities.
“Production
of most processors of agro-products is small quality being poor. Penetration of
these products in the international hotels is difficult,” said Mr Mapunda.
Source: The Citizen
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