Arusha — TANZANIA intends to spearhead horticulture as the country’s reliable vehicle for achieving future agricultural development goals.
Deputy Minister of State in the President’s Office (Planning and Investment), Mr Stanislaus Nyong’o, revealed that since horticulture predominantly employs women and youth, it is a key sector for job creation, boosting exports and ensuring food security.
“Horticulture grows at an annual rate of 11 per cent, while the entire agricultural sector grows at 12 per cent, highlighting the potential of the former,” he said.
Mr Nyong’o spoke at Nduruma Ward, Meru District, during the inauguration of the expansion project for Enza Zaden, an organic seeds growing farm in Arusha that develops high-quality kernels for export.
It was revealed that the horticulture sector in Tanzania has an export value of 668.7bn/- from a total production of 175,000 tonnes of produce shipped overseas in the current fiscal year.
ALSO READ: Tanzania horticultural exports company wins global accolade
The Director of Crop Development in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Enock Chimagu, pointed out that Tanzania’s reliance on imported seeds has been decreasing year by year.
“We now produce 78.6 per cent of the kernels used in the country, having produced 71,356 tonnes of agricultural seeds in the fiscal year 2023/2024,” he said, praising the Dutch company for further contributions to horticultural seed production.
Mr Chimagu noted that the horticulture sector has an export value of 668.7bn/-, a significant increase from the 340bn/- recorded in 2021.
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Ambassador Wiebe de Boer, envoy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Tanzania, stated that Enza Zaden is an exemplary Dutch company, employing over 3,000 people with more than 45 subsidiaries and three joint ventures across 26 countries.
“We are pleased that this Dutch company is collaborating with Tanzanians to achieve the goal of feeding the world healthily,” said the Ambassador.
Jaap Mazereew, Chief Executive Officer of Enza Zaden, revealed that the vegetable seeds produced by the establishment provide meals for over 100 million people.
“Today, we operate in 26 countries, employing over 3,000 people, with 1,000 involved in research projects. Developing a new vegetable variety takes about seven to ten years,” he explained.
Operations Manager at Enza Zaden, Mr Gerald Matowo stated that their products adhere to Good Seed and Plant Practices (GSPP), ensuring quality management, work methods and information supply comply with international standards.
Source: allafrica.com
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Tanzania’s opposition party ACT Wazalendo honours veteran politician under new policy
Unguja. Opposition party ACT Wazalendo today officially bids farewell to its former Chairman, Juma Duni Haji, also known as Babu Duni, as part of a new policy designed to honor retired senior leaders at a ceremony held at Kiembesamaki, Zanzibar.
The initiative highlights the party’s commitment to recognizing and supporting individuals who have served with dedication and integrity.
Babu Duni, who stepped down earlier this year, was succeeded by Othman Masoud, now the First Vice President of Zanzibar.
The policy aims to provide ongoing respect and support to retired leaders, ensuring their continued recognition and contribution to the party’s development.
“Recognizing their significant contributions to the development and prosperity of the party, this policy ensures that retired leaders continue to be acknowledged and respected by both the party and the community,” the policy states.
To benefit from this policy, leaders must not have left or been expelled from the party. They must have served the party with honor and dedication. The national leadership committee will determine whether a leader has fulfilled these criteria.
The policy seeks to honor retired leaders, protect their dignity, acknowledge their contributions, leverage their ideas for the party’s growth, and support them to the best of the party’s ability.
In honoring these leaders, the party will provide a vehicle, the type of which will be determined by the national leadership committee. Additionally, they will receive a monthly allowance, with the amount also set by this committee.
Other benefits include health insurance. If a leader does not own a home, the party will cover their rent at a rate decided by the committee.
The leadership committee may also grant special recognition based on the leader’s contributions. Retired leaders will participate in decision-making meetings according to procedures outlined in the party’s constitution.
Depending on the party’s resources at the time, the policy may also apply to retired deputy chairpersons for both the mainland and Zanzibar, the Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary-General for both mainland and Zanzibar, and the party’s Attorney General.
Additionally, leaders, executives, or members with exceptional contributions to the party’s protection, advocacy, and defense may also benefit, as determined by the leadership committee.
Currently, those who are eligible for benefits under this policy include Juma Duni Haji (retired party Chairman) and Zitto Kabwe (retired party leader).Continue Reading
Zanzibar’s tourism body chairman Rahim Bhaloo resigns
Bhaloo, who is also Chairman of the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism (ZCT), cited pressing family issues as the reason for his departure.Continue Reading
Africa: Rwanda Gets a Grip Of Marburg, But Mpox ‘Not Yet Under Control’
Monrovia — The Rwanda Minister of State responsible for Health, Dr. Yvan Butera, cautioned that while the country is beginning to see positive signals in its fight against the Marburg virus, the outbreak is “not yet over”. He, however, expressed hope that “we are headed in that direction”. The minister said the epidemiology trend, since the disease was first discovered in the country more than a month ago, is moving towards fewer cases.
Dr. Butera, who was giving updates during an online briefing yesterday, said in the past two weeks, only two deaths were recorded while 14 people recovered from the disease. He said Rwanda was expanding its testing capacity with 16,000 people already inoculated against the disease.
The priority right now, Butera said, is “rapid testing and detection”.
Marburg is a highly virulent disease transmitted through human-to-human contact or contact with an infected animal. The fatality rate of cases, which has varied over the period, is more than 50%, according to the World Health Organization. WHO said the highest number of new confirmed cases in Rwanda were reported in the first two weeks of the outbreak. There’s been a “sharp decline” in the last few weeks, with the country now tackling over 60 cases.
At Thursday’s briefing, a senior official of the Africa Centers for Disease Control, Dr. Ngashi Ngongo, said mpox – the other infectious disease outbreak that countries in the region are fighting – was been reported in 19 countries, with Mauritius being the latest country to confirm a case. He said although no new cases have been recorded in recent weeks in several countries where outbreaks occurred previously – including Cameroon, South Africa, Guinea, and Gabon – Uganda confirmed its first Mpox death. This, he said, is one of two fatalities reported outside Central Africa.
Dr. Ngashi revealed that there was an increase in cases in Liberia and Uganda. He said mpox cases were still on an upward trend.
“The situation is not yet under control.”
Source: allafrica.com
