Hope as US, Tanzania rollout $24m drive to combat chronic post-harvest loss
The initiative intends to provide farmers with expert guidance and practical solutions for mitigating post-harvest loss and waste.
FRIDAY September 27, 2024
By Adam Ihucha
The Tranquility News Correspondent, Tanzania
The United States, in collaboration with Tanzania, has unveiled an ambitious $24 million initiative to help millions of farmers reduce post-harvest losses in horticulture and cereal value chains.
The five-year endeavour, known as Feed the Future Tanzania, Tuhifadhi Chakula (Let’s Save Food), Project, promises to bring expert guidance and innovative solutions to farmers who have long struggled with substantial crop losses.
Tanzanian horticultural farmers endure post-harvest losses as high as 40 per cent, translating to an annual economic loss of $1.7 billion, official data between 2012 and 2016 shows.
Cereal farmers are not spared either, with a 13 per cent post-harvest loss, resulting in $4.2 million loss annually, in the period under review.
Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA) and the Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) center implement the five-year Feed the Future Tanzania, Tuhifadhi Chakula Project which USAID finances.
The project intends to provide farmers with expert guidance and practical solutions for mitigating post-harvest losses, effectively transforming what are currently a financial loss into potential windfalls.
Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Mr David Silinde, expressed profound gratitude towards the US government during the project’s launch.
He said the initiative would play a critical role in aiding Tanzanian farmers to secure their high-value crops.
“Feed the Future Tanzania, Tuhifadhi Chakula Project is going to help the country and particularly farmers who have been losing their high value crops,” Mr Silinde said.
Furthermore, Mr Silinde explained that the project aligned with the government’s policy framework aimed at reducing post-harvest losses through the construction of packhouses and the establishment of factories to process horticultural crops.
This initiative is also anticipated to complement the Tanzanian government’s broader strategy of creating three million jobs for youth and women by the year 2030.
US Ambassador to Tanzania, Mr Michael Battle, highlighted the global magnitude of post-harvest losses, pointing out that the world suffered a staggering $1 billion in losses annually.
He underscored the importance of international cooperation in addressing the challenge, describing the initiative as a pivotal step towards a more sustainable and productive agricultural sector.
The Feed the Future Tanzania, Tuhifadhi Chakula Project is set to revolutionise the agricultural landscape by integrating state-of-the-art technical expertise and innovative methods to stabilise food security.
“Food loss and waste affect families in every country around the world, including the US and Tanzania. It costs an estimated $1 trillion globally. US is absolutely committed to help Tanzanian families to produce food crops and access markets,” Ambassador Battle noted.
He said President Samia Suluhu Hassan and the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Hussein Bashe, were deeply committed to the notion that Tanzania must stand strong as a food secure country, capable of not only feeding itself, but also feeding the world around it.
“This project is just one element of fulfilling the dream and vision of the Tanzania government. Over the past decade, the US spent over $4.8 billion on supporting Tanzania’s food security and economic growth,” he explained.
Feed the Future Tanzania project builds on that investment and on how committed to directly support Tanzanian farmers like Samwel Matata and others who actively engage in the growth of productivity levels and financial security.
Mr Matata’s productivity has growing from Sh6 million to 26 million on the same plot of land showed what happened if one had the right seeds, irrigation, technology and market, he said.
From 2018 to 2022, over 2 million Tanzanians have benefited from US food security programmes which have unlocked more than $4.8 billion in agriculture financing and in leveraging many more activities to be done to ensure security financially and in terms of health and wellbeing of Tanzanians.
The activities particularly focused on youth and women. Tanzania has a young population that is leading in new technologies and innovations that can help to meet the needs of not only Tanzania, but also of the region around them.
The host farm groups represent how the US government works with the private sector to reduce food loss and waste though a strong partnership with famers, processors and traders.
Mr Battle said the future success will always be public-private partnerships, building on the expertise of the private sector and the ingenuity of the public sector, adding:
“We are glad that Tanzania is among three African nations the US government will focus on in the years to come. Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia will be part of the accelerated programme to feed the future.
“The US believes that Tanzania is an important partner because it has an insight, willingness and the ability to do exceedingly well, and that’s the reason we are proud of TAHA, a partner we have worked with over the years and has proven that with the right investment, time and leadership, there is no stop to the possibilities that can be achieved.”
The future belongs to the farmers, your ability to do well, we all depend upon you, without you we would never be healthy,” Mr Michael Battle, the US Ambassador to Tanzania.
He added: “The future belongs to the farmers, your ability to do well, we all depend upon you, without you we would never be healthy”.
Citing US and South Korea partnerships, he said they would drastically increase the ability of cold storage and food processing that would benefit every farmer to rapidly access the market and expand the market base.
“I cannot wait to see the market expanded for avocado of Tanzania, the best avocados in the world are grown in Tanzania. They are available throughout the year. Let’s make it happen,” he concluded.
In a heartfelt address, the TAHA CEO, Dr Jacqueline Mkindi, expressed deep gratitude to the US government and the USAID for their pivotal role in transforming Tanzania’s horticultural sub-sector.
“I am immensely grateful to USAID for the Feed the Future Tanzania, Tuhifadhi Chakula project, but also for believing in TAHA when it was just a name,” she recalled, as applause filled the room.
Dr Mkindi reflected on the challenges that plagued the horticultural industry in 2004, when it generated a mere $100 million and faced numerous obstacles.
With USAID’s support, TAHA underwent a remarkable evolution. The assistance included capacity building and financial resources, which helped propel the industry to a staggering $779 million in revenue before the COVID-19 pandemic, creating 6.5 million jobs nationwide.
Her words were laden with emotion as she stated, “What can I say to USAID? I struggle to find words that adequately express my gratitude.”
Dr Mkindi vowed to honour the support by ensuring implementation of the Tuhifadhi Chakula project succeeded, promising to exceed expectations and leave a lasting impact on Tanzania’s horticulture and cereal industries.
“We will ensure best practices endure beyond the project’s lifespan and sustain our robust partnership with USAID,” she pledged.
The TAHA Board Chairman, Engineer Zebadiah Moshi, also praised the initiative, noting that it arrived at a critical time when post-harvest losses had reached alarming levels, costing farmers 40 per cent of their crops.
He emphasized that the project could be a transformative force, turning losses into profits for countless struggling farmers.
The Feed the future Tanzania, Tuhifadhi Chakula (Lets save food) Project Chief of Party, Mr Amani Temu, said the project aimed at informing and promoting policy and regulatory frameworks that reduce food loss and waste, as well as strengthening the capacity of local organisations to oversee post-harvest management.
TAHA is implementing the project in five production regions of Njombe, Coast, Morogoro, Tanga and Mbeya, and market sheds regions of Dodoma, Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar.
Upon completion, Tuhifadhi Chakula is billed to lift incomes and livelihoods of over 930,000 farmers, processors, transporters and traders. Forty per cent of the targeted beneficiaries are youth and 30 per cent are women.
In addressing post-harvest loss and waste in horticulture, the project covers round potato, avocado, tomato, banana, orange, and spices, namely black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger value chains in the production regions.
As for cereals post-harvest loss and waste to be addressed by SAGCOT centre, the project will cover maize, rice and common beans value chainsΩ
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