Marketing of agricultural produce from Karagwe district (new plans)
Opportunities:
Poor market and declining coffee prices:
Majority of the people in Karagwe are farmers and depend on sale of coffee
and bananas for their income. Unfortunately, the prices for coffee have
fallen from TShs 180/- offered by private buyers to TShs 30/- per Kg offered
by local cooperative.
a) Most farmers have lost morale and abandoned their coffee plantations.
They do not have any motivation to tend and harvest their coffee.
b) In light of tightening costs of living and increasing rural poverty,
most farmers are seeking for alternative income generating opportunities
other than coffee.
c) It is increasingly becoming very difficult for most households to make
ends meet with nothing to sell at al
Increase in production of alternative crops other than coffee
There has been an increase in food production with a correspondingly
low farm gate prices for fresh products. The fact that post harvest losses
have increased, has forced more people to think of post harvest processing,
of which solar drying is the only available option.
So FTC ought to adopt major Policy decisions :
HIGH QUALITY PRODUCTS
HIGH QUALITY PACKAGING
REASONABLE AND FAIR PRICES
PROMPT PAYMENT FOR HIGH QUALITY PRODUCTS
And then:
a) Develop avenues for the processing and marketing of honey
b) Expansion of project area (Bukoba for Pineapples and Ukerewe for Mangoes)
c) Develop focus towards exports, as local markets are very limited and
very slow.
d) Consolidate the procurement, processing and marketing of honey and
honey products especially wax
e) Devise a new training plan for existing and new solar drying groups
geared at producing marketable solar dried fruits.
f) Expand the fruit-drying project to other areas within the region, with
potential production for pineapples and mangoes.
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