JV Biotech Enterprises, which is under the Directorate of Innovation and Entrepreneurship of the University of Dar es Salaam is now building capacity to local cassava farmers and entrepreneurs to utilize plentiful opportunities from the crop.
The company has started training the farmers and other stakeholders this week at the UDSM campus whereby at least 20 participants from regions of Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Dodoma and Coast region benefited.
Chief Executive Officer Victor Kabegu told the ‘africa-press’ yesterday that next year they would extend the training programme to involve participants from other regions.
He said they aimed to assist farmers to invest on profitable cassava cultivation and ensure reliable market internally and externally.
“Tanzania has suitable land for growing cassava but people don’t follow proper procedures of cultivating the crop, something which leads to low productivity. We therefore found it necessary to educate them,” Mr Kabegu stated.
After training the farmers and entrepreneurs, the company was upbeat that they may be interested to invest in cassava processing industries in the future in supporting government’s initiative towards industrialisation.
The training took the participants through issues of opportunities from cassava crop, good cultivation practices, processing, better technologies and finding market.
“After the training we will do mentorship to the trainees for a period of one year to make them grow,” he said.
Company’s Executive Director Jacob Tito said they target to educate at least 20 farmers every month to make a total of over 240 in a year.
“We need to transform cassava from food to commercial crop because it has many opportunities from its roots, shoots and leaves,” he explained.
One of training participants, Lilas Jama, a farmer, said knowledge was crucial for boosting cassava production and how to acquire market.
“I have learnt that a farmer should first look for market opportunities before venturing into growing the cassava,” she said.
She acknowledged that the training has further motivated her to engage in cassava production and processing for adding value.
