YOUTH in the country have been advised to engage in cash crop farming so that they can directly participate in boosting the country’s economy.
According to agriculture experts, many youth are not interested in farming and that instead they eye for quick paying jobs, which are hard to find.
The head of sales and Marketing of the Afri Tea and Coffee Blenders (1963) Ltd Mr Bhauddin Jainuddin said his company produces 200 tons of coffee annually and that majority of the customers are youth.
“I am confident of the local market, therefore we need more production,” he noted.
He said youth in Tanzania and the East African region in general need to engage in agriculture to boost the production and ensure economic growth.
It was established that youth around East Africa play a decisive role in granting domestic coffee market.
However, the young people who are expected to be the engine in ensuring increase of coffee have been less interested in the business.
Mr Tumaini Valentine, 28, a resident of Nyakatuntu village of Kyerwa district, is engaged in coffee trade, but not in farming.
He told the ‘Daily News’ that he opted for buying and selling the crop instead of farming because it takes time to start harvesting.
“Farming coffee takes long time, it needs huge investment,” he said.
However, Mr Murshid Marijan, a graduate and former president of student government at the College of Business Education (CBE), said many youth focus on making quick money, which is not sustainable for their future.
He asked the government through the Ministry of Agriculture to come up with policies that will enable youth to engage in profitable agriculture.
“I think youth need policies that will attract and encourage them to engage in cash crop agriculture, this will boost crop production and foster economic growth,” he noted.
According to Tanzania Coffee board (TCB) website total area under coffee is 265,000 hectares for both Arabica and Robusta.
Tanzanian Arabica coffees are grown on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru in the Northern areas, under the shade of banana trees.
Arabica coffee is grown also in Southern Highlands of Songwe, Mbeya and Ruvuma regions where coffee is both inter-cropped with bananas and some areas are pure stand.
Arabica coffee makes up to 70% of total country production. Robusta coffee is grown in the western areas along Lake Victoria in Kagera region.
This constitutes 30 per cent of the total coffee production in Tanzania.