Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on Tuesday, April 4, 2023.

Italy’s New Holland partners with Equity for Tanzania to boost tractor use

New Holland Agriculture, the Italian agricultural machinery manufacturer, has partnered with Equity for Tanzania (EFTA), a leasing private company owned by the development finance institutions of the UK and Norwegian governments, for the acquisition of 200 tractors to assist the mechanisation of smallholder farmers in Tanzania.

A report by Agriland on Tuesday stated that the collaboration between the two would enable the financing of equipment without collateral being required as a guarantee, giving a chance for more farmers to benefit from modern machinery.

The scheme has led to the delivery of 200 TT75 4WD tractors to help support Tanzania’s 2025 vision for mechanisation, increased agricultural production and improved food security.

The transaction has been facilitated by Hughes Agriculture Tanzania Ltd. (HAT), New Holland Agriculture’s local distributor in Tanzania, and CRDB Bank.

According to Agriland, HAT and EFTA have been working in partnership for over five years, but this is the first time a broader partnership, including a large manufacturer and a bank, has been formed to significantly scale up tractor access for smallholder farmers in the country.

It is expected to be the beginning of an ongoing partnership to grow mechanisation in East Africa, including Kenya.

After the delivery of the 73hp machines, an official training programme for farmers was launched at the end of February and will continue until the end of April 2023 across several districts of Tanzania to provide the farmers with the technical support they need to increase productivity.

EFTA Nicomed Bohay noted during an interview with Agriland that its major role is to provide access to finance for farmers and growers who would not normally meet eligibility criteria from mainstream financial institutions.

This is regarded as a special segment of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), usually called the ‘missing middle’, and comprises farmers who are too big for micro-finance but too small for conventional banks.

USAID Heshimu Bahari project aims at strengthening coastal diversity

The United States and Tanzania have launched a five-year USAID Heshimu Bahari, which means ‘Respect the Oceans’ in Kiswahili, a $8.4 million investment project that is expected to enable sustainable co-management and biodiversity conservation of marine resources through active involvement of local communities.

According to a statement released on Tuesday, the project will address numerous threats to Tanzania’s marine ecosystems, including promoting gender-equitable approaches to development, addressing overfishing that has profoundly damaged key coastal fisheries, and mitigating the impact of climate change that has disrupted ecosystems and livelihoods, and impacted the tourism potential of the country.

The launch event was attended by Second Gentleman of the United States Douglas Emhoff, who was in Tanzania with his wife, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, as part of a broader trip to celebrate and deepen the United States’ partnerships in Tanzania and across Africa. 

Joined by the ministers from the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries (Tanzania Mainland) and the Ministry of Blue Economy and Fisheries (Zanzibar), the Second Gentleman formally announced the Heshimu Bahari project. He highlighted the key role of women in advancing coastal climate resilience. 

In their remarks, the ministers from Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar noted the challenges posed by threats to marine biodiversity to local livelihoods. They stressed the timely assistance provided by the project and its linkage with Tanzania’s own development strategies.

The Second Gentleman met directly with local community members and leaders in the fishing industry before the launch. 

The female fisherpersons, community leaders, and other representatives discussed with the Second Gentleman the barriers Tanzanian women face to their full participation in Tanzania’s fishing industry.

DAWASA contracts Dubai-based firm to develop wastewater treatment plant

Dar es Salaam Water Supply and Sanitation Authority (DAWASA) have awarded Dubai-based water management company Metito the contract to design, build and operate a new wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in the commercial capital, it was reported on Tuesday.

The Mbezi wastewater treatment plant, located in the Mbezi Beach area, Kinondoni, will have a capacity of 6,000 cubic metres per day, Metito said in a press statement.

The scope of work involves three years of operation and maintenance for the wastewater treatment plant with the full participation of DAWASA staff in all operational sections of the treatment plant.

The statement said Metito would utilise conventional activated sludge technology and implement anaerobic digestors to produce biogas used by Combined Heat and Power (CHP) generation system to reduce electric power consumption by almost 40 per cent at ultimate plant capacity.

The company will also use the sludge anaerobic digestion process in the first treatment phase to ensure the sludge is stabilised and the quality of the sludge is maintained.

The plant will be designed in almost half the allocated area, optimising land usage and maximising savings.

Karim Madwar, Metito Africa’s Managing Director, said that the company was proud to work with DAWASA on the project and is looking forward to making it a benchmark for similar projects in the region.

“Access to water and sanitation in Tanzania can transform the economic outlook in Dar es Salaam and propel its social development and sustainable growth,” DAWASA’s acting CEO  Kiula Kingu said.

The Tanzanian Government and the World Bank are financing the project. The project award agreement was signed on 22 March, and construction is expected to commence in April 2023, with the commissioning date set for October 2024.

Young Tanzanian agripreneur secures export market for bee products in South Africa

Chief executive officer at Beegift Products and Services, a Dodoma-based beekeeping company, Stefano Kileo, has secured an export market in South Africa for the company’s bee products.

According to a report by Farmers Review Africa, the move is a result of the Tanzanian government’s initiatives to open up opportunities abroad. The company will start shipping various products such as honey, pollen, beeswax, royal jelly, propolis, purified candles, and bee venom by July this year.

“We are glad that we managed to win the South African market opportunity during a recent International Organisation of Beekeeping Associations (Apimondia) conference that was held in Durban,” the website quoted Kiloe as saying.

He said the company received orders to export 20 tonnes of honey. For instance, after every 60 days during the conference following an excellent reception of the country’s honey by end-users in foreign markets.

“This, we attribute to our local producers who have managed to consider and maintain the quality of honey for all seasons of the year,” said Kileo.

South Africa became the company’s third export market after Kenya and Uganda, where they exported over 8.5 tonnes last year.

After South Africa, the company is now looking into Asian countries, China in particular, following the government-announced opportunities for local beekeepers to export bee products to the international market.

“We are embarking on the construction of the modern beehives to help our 90 per cent smallholder farmers who still depend on traditional hives, which are not economical,” Kileo said, adding that the company’s workshop can construct 400modern hives a month.

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