The Citizen
(Dar es Salaam)
George Sembony, Lushoto
8 October 2008
Lushoto District Council has vowed to strengthen the Coffee Seedling Nursery Project in its bid to revive and further develop coffee farming to help farmers diversify and increase their incomes.
The promise is contained in a brief statement read to the Uhuru Torch Race team in Lushoto after the acting race leader, Mr Mohamed Magati, had officially launched the project.
The Uhuru Torch began an eight-day race in Tanga Region on Monday after it completing its race in Kilimanjaro Region.
The coordinator of the Sh17 million project being jointly implemented with the Tanzania Coffee Research Institute (Tacri), Ms Asha Shelukindo, said the nursery established in 2007 with the aim of producing improved coffee tree seedlings was expected to produce a million seedlings by 2010. Over 480,000 seedlings have already been distributed.
She said coffee farming used to be popular in Lushoto District but declined because of poor prices. "Prices have now shot up in the world market and farmers are being encouraged to take up coffee farming again. A total of 3,650 hectares are being developed to be used for the cultivation of improved coffee seedlings," she said.
Ms Shelukindo said 45 extension officers out of the target of 75 had already been trained and the project would provide training in 65 villages.
A total of seven development projects worth Sh180 million were either inaugurated or had foundation stones laid by the leader of the Uhuru Torch race. The people's contribution in the projects amount to Sh21 million while donors' contribution totals Sh85. The cengral government and Lushoto District Council contributed Sh37 million and Sh38 million, respectively.
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