Dodoma. Prime Minister Dr Mwigulu Lameck Nchemba has commended the Tanzania Coffee Board (TCB) and the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute through the Tanzania Coffee Research Institute (TARI/TaCRI) for their collaboration in strengthening the country’s coffee industry through research, innovation and the dissemination of improved farming technologies.
The Prime Minister made the remarks after visiting a coffee demonstration farm during the opening of the 33rd National Nanenane Agricultural Exhibition at the John Malechela Nzuguni grounds in Dodoma.
During the tour, Dr Nchemba inspected modern coffee production technologies, including improved compact coffee seedlings developed through research to enhance productivity, crop quality and farmers’ incomes.
He expressed satisfaction at the successful cultivation of coffee in Dodoma, noting that the crop’s performance in the region demonstrated its growing adaptability to new production areas.
He said the development presented significant opportunities for Dodoma to increase coffee production and benefit more from the sector’s economic potential.
The Prime Minister urged the Tanzania Coffee Board and TARI/TaCRI to continue strengthening agricultural research, innovation and extension services to ensure farmers gain access to improved technologies capable of increasing yields and enhancing the competitiveness of Tanzanian coffee in domestic and international markets.
He said sustained investment in research and farmer support would also contribute to the implementation of the National Development Vision 2050, which places agriculture among the key sectors expected to drive industrialisation, export growth, employment creation and higher household incomes.
The 33rd National Nanenane Exhibition, which runs until August 8 at the John Malechela Nzuguni grounds in Dodoma, is being held under the theme: “Know the Market, Produce Productively to Deliver Vision 2050.”
The annual event brings together government institutions, researchers, agribusinesses, financial institutions and farmers to showcase technologies, innovations and services aimed at modernising Tanzania’s agricultural sector.
Coffee remains one of Tanzania’s most important traditional export crops, providing livelihoods for hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers across regions including Kilimanjaro, Arusha, Mbeya, Songwe, Ruvuma, Kagera and Rukwa.
In recent years, the government has intensified efforts to increase production through improved seedlings, expanded extension services, rehabilitation of ageing coffee trees and greater investment in research.
The promotion of improved coffee varieties capable of thriving in different agro-ecological zones forms part of the government’s wider strategy to expand cultivation into new areas, improve productivity and strengthen Tanzania’s position in the global coffee market while increasing foreign exchange earnings and rural incomes.
