AfricaPress-Tanzania: ENTREPRENEURS in Kagera Region who engage in processing and packaging of long-horned grasshoppers ‘senene’ have been urged to acquire the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) quality standard mark as an impetus for penetrating a wide market.
The call was made by Lake Zone TBS Quality Control Officer Vicent Mabula insisting that the move would make their products competitive in domestic and regional markets.
He was speaking with entrepreneurs, including vegetable sellers and farmers during this year’s three-day Senene Festival 2021 held at the weekend.
He said the aim of the festival was to build the capacity of entrepreneurs on how to acquire the TBS quality standard mark after meeting requisite standards.
Mr Mabula said consumers in and outside the country had confidence in using goods which had the TBS quality standard mark.
He said green grasshoppers were among the food products most loved in and outside the country, thus lacking the TBS quality standard mark meant losing some customers who had developed a culture of buying certified products.
Mr Mabula told entrepreneurs that it was high time for them to make efficient use of TBS to grow their businesses, generate more incomes and contribute to economic growth.
For her part an entrepreneur, Ms Josephina Ansibert, thanked TBS for training them because it would open a new window for them to expand their business.
She said it was her first time to hear about TBS and its obligations and how it could help entrepreneurs grow and expand their business.
Ensenene is a common traditional food in Kagera Region. It is sold in different parts of the country and even abroad by family members.
The edible insects (grasshoppers) are also common in other Great Lakes Region countries of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. They are known for their delicious taste and addictive dish with high A, B, and C vitamin and protein content.
