Govt keen on boosting tea market

What you need to know:

At least 100,000 people across Mufindi, Njombe, Rungwe, Lushoto, Korogwe, Muheza, Bukoba and Muleba districts are either employed as tea farmers or work in tea processing factories.

Njombe. The government is undertaking a strategy that will ensure that tea farmers get a ready market for their products, raising hope for thousands of farmers and factory workers who depend on the crop for their economic livelihoods.

At least 100,000 people across Mufindi, Njombe, Rungwe, Lushoto, Korogwe, Muheza, Bukoba and Muleba districts are either employed as tea farmers or work in tea processing factories.

Speaking during an event to issue certificates to 206 Njombe tea farmers who completed their one-year farmers’ field school (FFS) training here yesterday, the assistant Regional Administrative Secretary for Njombe (Economic and Empowerment Sector), Mr Lameck Noah, said the government was doing

everything possible to improve the whole production and marketing chain for the benefit of farmers and improve competitiveness.

The FFS training is an initiative of the Njombe Out-growers Services (NOSC).

Mr Noah, who represented Njombe Regional Commissioner Christopher Ole Sendeka, said in line with the initiative, Uniliver was in the final stages of setting up a factory in the region.

“This will even attract others to come and invest here and therefore, slowly implementing a vision to make Tanzania an industrialized nation,” Mr Noah said.

Speaking about the training, Mr Noah said it will help farmers to start getting their produce early.

He noted that it used to take long for farmers to start getting produce, but through NOSC, farmers will start getting their first green tea harvests within 12 months.

The NOSC general manager, Mr Filbert Kavia stressed the importance of spreading such best practices throughout the nation to solve the challenge of agricultural experts.

The training was is under Chai Project with a sponsorship from The Wood Foundation Africa (TWFA), Gatsby Charitable Foundation (Gatsby) and UKAID.

NOSC expects cultivate tea in an area of 3,800 hectors and reach 4,000 out-growers farmers.