AfricaPress-Tanzania: FARMERS in Karagwe District are finalizing plans to implement a project that will transform raw bananas to improve ‘konyagi’ brand.
One of the six members coordinating the project Mr Clement Nsherenguzi said a team of farmers from Karagwe made a business tour in neighbouring Uganda last year to share experiences with their counterparts who were ahead by producing ‘Uganda Waragi’-a brand produced from raw bananas.
He explained that Karagwe and Kyerwa Districts had a combined production of bananas estimated at between 300,000- 500,000 metric tonnes adding that farmers were being mobilized to form an Agricultural and Marketing Cooperative Society (AMCOS) which will exclusively deal with banana crop.
This will create employment for hundreds of youths and also enable women entrepreneurs to benefit from the banana industry. That is why the project brings joy and a major sigh of relief for farmers and investors.
At last, they can smell prosperity through efficient and lucrative trade, he said.
“The project is vital in creating employment opportunities, mostly ruralbased, thereby helping to reduce rural-urban migration. We are grateful to President John Magufuli for his efforts to transform the nation into an industrial economy. For a long time farmers in Karagwe District did not benefit much from the banana crop as a big portion was wasted,” he said.
According to him, a delegation comprising officials from the Ministry for Industries, Trade and Investment, TanTrade and Small Industries Development Organisation (SIDO), visited Karagwe District recently to sensitize the farmers on how to make their dream come true.
