Zanzibar — ZANZIBAR President Dr Ali Mohamed Shein has hailed the support from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) saying it has helped smallholder farmers in Zanzibar to improve farming.

In a meeting with IFAD Director, Mr Perin Saint Ange, the president thanked the organization for continued support at a time when farmers face increasing challenges and IFAD plans to implement its 2013-2015 programme.

"Zanzibar is determined to improve agriculture aiming at sustainable food security. We hope to achieve the goal with support from development partners," said Dr Shein. The meeting comes at a time when farmers demand inputs and skilled Farm Extension Officers (FEO).

Dr Shein informed his guest that Zanzibar's initiatives in promoting agriculture include improving research, and improvement of the Zanzibar Agricultural Training Institute (ZATI) which was built in 1923.

IFAD has spent about 10 million US dollars in supporting smallholder farmers in the Isles and, according to Mr Ange, Zanzibar has done well by putting agriculture on top of her agenda. "IFAD will continue supporting Zanzibar in its programme," he said.