With STREPHIT project TZ agri growth is bright

TANZANIA: THE Ministry of Agriculture, through the Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticide Authority (TPHPA) and the STREPHIT project under the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), with partnership and funding from the European Union (EU), has achieved a significant milestone in enhancing global market access for Tanzania’s crops.

Here, Tanzania has made substantial progress in boosting its agricultural exports by unveiling a comprehensive market access dossier for eight priority crops to 14 countries.

This strategic initiative aims to tap into new markets worth an estimated $3.4 billion, equivalent to 9.267tr/-, marking a transformative step in the nation’s economic growth and agricultural development.

The dossier was recently handed over in Dodoma.

The key crops include avocado, vanilla, black pepper, pineapple, cloves, cocoa, banana and Irish potatoes.

These will be sold to countries involved in the initiative, including EU member states, the USA, Zambia, Pakistan, South Africa, India, Brazil, Mexico, Singapore, China, Malaysia, Canada, Turkey, Iraq and Israel.

Representing the Minister for Agriculture, the Deputy Minister, Mr David Silinde, stated that the handover marks a crucial turning point for Tanzania’s agricultural sector.

“By complying with the market requirements of these 14 countries, we are creating opportunities for our farmers, especially those cultivating priority crops, to access broader trade markets, enhance their livelihoods and strengthen Tanzania’s position in the international market,” said Mr Silinde.

Mr Idrisa Abdallah, the Deputy Principal Secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture in Zanzibar, emphasised the benefits of this initiative, particularly for cloves, one of the island’s primary exports.

“Securing access to this substantial share of the global market will certainly benefit our farmers and strengthen our thriving agricultural sector, which contributes about 85 per cent of export earnings in Zanzibar and 27 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” he said.

The Strengthening Plant Health Services in Tanzania for Enhanced Food Safety (STREPHIT) project is dedicated to ensuring that Tanzania’s agricultural products comply with international standards, particularly phytosanitary standards crucial for export markets.

STREPHIT is a four-year initiative that addresses administrative and technical constraints relevant to plant health that hinder agricultural trade and jeopardise food security and safety.

By meeting these standards, Tanzania aims to enhance its agricultural exports, particularly to the EU and other global markets.

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Lamine Diallo, Head of the Natural Resources Section at the EU Delegation to Tanzania and the East African Community, emphasised the EU’s commitment to supporting Tanzania’s agricultural sector.

He stated, “The development of these market dossiers highlights the European Union’s dedication to improving safety and health standards, boosting market access, and promoting investment in Tanzania’s agricultural produce.” Mr Diallo added that these dossiers will stimulate growth in the export business and benefit Tanzania’s agriculture and farmers.

The dossier handover is expected to deliver substantial benefits to Tanzanian farmers, with a particular focus on smallholder farmers.

By gaining access to global markets, Tanzania can expand its export of high-quality produce, increase foreign exchange earnings and drive the growth of the agricultural sector.

Dr Nyabenyi Tipo, FAO Country Representative, praised the collective efforts that have led to this achievement.

“These accomplishments are the result of joint efforts under the STREPHIT project, which focuses on strengthening Tanzania’s plant health services to meet the stringent phytosanitary standards required by global markets,” she said.

TPHPA, in collaboration with the EU and FAO, remains committed to ensuring that Tanzanian agricultural products are competitively positioned in international markets, fostering growth and development across the agricultural sector.

The Government of Tanzania has also contributed €250,000 to the project, which is being implemented in both mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar.

The results derived from the project have enabled relevant directorates of TPHPA to fulfil their mandates under international standards, while the capacity of plant health inspectors at export and import posts has been improved.

Additionally, detection and traceability systems are now operational and sampling and transmission procedures for export products have been strengthened.

Field plant protection and surveillance service providers are better skilled and equipped and modern, innovative data collection and transfer practices have been developed