Zanzibar — ZANZIBAR has stepped up its commitment to creating an enabling environment and investing in value addition projects for marine products, particularly seaweed, a key source of income for coastal communities.

Deputy Minister for Blue Economy and Fisheries, Ms Mboja Ramadhan Mshenga said the government is planning to construct a seaweed processing plant in South Unguja Region, a project which is expected to create employment opportunities, add value to the crop, and increase farmers' incomes.

"The factory will significantly boost production by addressing market challenges and enabling farmers to sell processed products instead of raw seaweed," she said during a visit to seaweed farmers at Makunduchi village, where he inspected farming activities and listened to farmers' concerns.

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Ms Mshenga said that the government is committed to ensuring the seaweed sector grows into a major source of employment and income generation particularly for coastal communities.

"Research is ongoing to develop resilient seaweed varieties so that farmers can engage themselves in high productive farming despite environmental changes," she said.

Farmers, however, raised concerns over several challenges, including sale of land, which has led to restricted access routes to the sea. Asha Juma, a seaweed farmer from Makunduchi, said the closure of traditional access paths due to construction of boundary walls has made it difficult for farmers to reach their farming areas.

"We are forced to take longer routes because some access paths have been blocked," she said, calling on the government to intervene. Another farmer, Salma Hassan from Mzuri Shehia, underscored the lack of proper infrastructure such as safe stairways to access the sea, which has led to frequent accidents.