TANZANIA is out to tame cereal post-harvest loss by constructing silos in top maize producing regions. To walk the talk the country has already construct eight silos in Sumbawanga, Rukwa which will double the region storage capacity thanks to 67million US dollars project financed by Tanzania and Poland.
According to data the East African Community makes huge post-harvest losses in food products annually in the range of 30 per cent in cereals, 50 per cent in roots and tubers, and up to 70 per cent in fruits and vegetables.
Nevertheless, the Rukwa's project of constructing eight silos was completed two months ago and has the capacity of storing 501,000 tonnes. The old facility has a capacity of 250,000 tonnes.
The silos at Kanondo area in Sumbawanga municipality was financed by polish government which through a soft loan of 55 million US dollars and the 12 million US dollars form the government of Tanzania.
Though the silos was completed in March were subjected to some trials last month and now are ready for use. Rukwa Regional Commissioner (RC) Mr Joseph Mkirikiti said the target of the construction of modern storage facilities were to enhance storage capacity as well as to reduce burden for smallholder farmers.
"The target is store cereals and to cut down postharvest lost," the RC told reporters after touring the silos over the weekend. Currently, The Ministry of Agriculture through National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) is constructing silos to increase the storage capacity of cereals in seven regions namely Rukwa, Katavi, Njombe, Manyara, Ruvuma, Dodoma and Songwe.
The project in seven regions is also partially financed through Programme of Storage Capacity Expansion Project (SCEP) following a soft loan from Polish government.
The Sumbawanga's silos according to Polish'S UNIA Araj, Resident Engineer, Haruna Kalunga the project took off in 2020 involving constructing of silos, a weighing and measuring facility, six buildings and fencing of the compound.
The EAC, Deputy Secretary General, in charge of the Productive and Social Sectors, Mr Christophe Bazivamo, said that partner states could reverse this situation through deployment of better storage and processing technologies and enhanced packaging techniques can greatly contribute to the regional development objectives; ensure food security and result in higher earnings for farmers and SMEs.
Mr Bazivamo said that to counter these challenges, the EAC has developed clear policy directions to signal to the investors the Community's strategic intent, adding the bloc has established a public private sector fruits and vegetables platform to drive faster development in the sector.
"In our recently adopted fruits and vegetables strategy and post harvest loss management action plan we aim to unlock this potential by, among other things, pursuing best practices in contract farming, productivity, inputs; utilization of modern and new technologies, capacity building," he said.
The EAC was keen on improving agro-specific infrastructure for example collection centres, sorting, pack houses, cold storages; refrigeration tanks; development of cold rooms, supply of processing machineries, competitive ocean and air freight services, adding that promotion of the packaging, branding and display sectors was also critical to reducing postharvest losses. Mr Bazivamo was speaking during the opening session of the Tanzania Food and Agriculture Expo (TanzFood 2022) at the Magereza Grounds in Arusha,
Tanzania. The agricultural sector in the region is employs the highest number of East Africans and contributes over 20 per cent to the GDP of the EAC.
"Agriculture has the potential to completely transform our region, fully feed us and improve our economic welfare. We are yet to unlock the full potential of the sector and yet we are growing as a region and as a continent," said the DSG.
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Speaking at the same event, Mr John Mongella, the Arusha Regional Commissioner and the chief guest at the event, urged banks and the private sector to invest more in agriculture, adding that the sector had the potential to assist Tanzania and EAC to attain food security.
Mr Mongella expressed hope that the TanzFood Expo would grow into a regional event that would attract exhibitors from the six EAC partner states and beyond.
In her remarks, Germany's Ambassador to Tanzania and the EAC, Ms Regine Hess, expressed optimism that the expo would grow in the coming years to attract exhibitors and investors from the region and other parts of the world.
She urged the EAC to convene more trade fairs saying that such forums would strengthen the regional economy and enable producers and innovators to tap into the international market, adding that Germany was keen on supporting similar events.
