Eat seaweed for your health, Zbar First Lady advises women

ZANZIBAR : ZANZIBAR First Lady Maryam Mwinyi has advised women to eat seaweed since it has nutrients important in strengthening health particularly for pregnant mothers.

She explained that consuming nutritious foods like seaweed will strengthen their health and reduce complications such as anaemia, which contributes to deaths of pregnant mothers and children.

“We need to find ways that will reduce maternal and infant mortality such as consuming healthy food,” Ms Maryams said over the weekend at a ceremony to handover equipment for seaweed harvesting and drying to farmers in Zanzibar.

She informed the gathering that her Zanzibar Maisha Bora Foundation (ZMBF) in collaboration with FAO and other stakeholders, have donated 220 seaweed drying racks to seaweed farmers groups. The cost of the racks is about 200m/-.

She said the farmers would now be capable of drying seaweed for between one and two days. About 150 ropes have also been distributed to farmers’ groups in Unguja and Pemba.

She said the seaweed crop has many benefits, including containing important nutrients that are helpful to the body than the nutrients found in other crops, urging them to consume and increase production to export for economic gains as well.

“Seaweed is important for human health, including contributing to growth of economy of poor people and the nation at large. Let us increase its production,” urged Mama Maryam who was speaking in her capacity as the Zanzibar Maisha Bora Foundation (ZMBF) chairperson.

She said the ZMBF has been supporting seaweed farmers, including providing agricultural equipment for increased production of quality seaweed.

Previously, she handed over carrier boats with a length of five metres, machines with a capacity of 9.9 H and fishing buoys to the seaweed and fishing groups.

Regarding seaweed processing, ZMBF sponsored six seaweed grinding machines, six soap stirring machines, and other equipment, asking women engaging in seaweed activities to make the best use of the equipment donated to them.

One of the beneficiaries, Ms Safia Hashim Makame, from Bweleo thanked ZMBF and development partners for the support.