By STAFF REPORTER
THE Tanzania Coffee Research Institute (TaCRI) is implementing phase four of a Strategic Action Plan (SAP) which gears to ensure the coffee produced in Tanzania perfom well in the world market.
The SAP, among others, focuses on achieving several issues, including value addition for coffee products, reducing production cost for the coffee products, as well as increasing income and livelihoods to the coffee growers in all regions where the economic cash crop flourishes.
Deusdedit Kilambo is the General Director (DG) for the Tanzania Coffee Research Institute ( TaCRI).
“We’re executing the plan for an array of reasons, but chiefly to help improve the coffee sector’s contribution towards the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) while making sure the farmers improves productivity as well as their livelihoods,”
To have the plan see the light of the day, the TaCRI's Chief boss infomed that they had conducted several research meant to empower the coffee farmers across the country to heighten their production and productivity, the development which have so far started to fetch fruitful results.
“Majority of the coffee farmers who have adopted research results disseminated by TaCRI are producing organic coffee as new coffee varieties do not require routine application of fungicides to control coffee diseases. Other recommendations to manage damage by coffee insect pests involve use of traps and botanicals, these help to reduce application of industrial insecticides,” Dr. Kilambo went on to say.
Moreover, he communicated that they were working to further strengthen coffee extension services towards the farmers, saying the move will result in a positive impact on adoption of numerous agro-technologies being researched, introduced and disseminated by the Moshi-based Coffee Research Institute.
“This will also enhance effectiveness because of coherence with TaCRI’s mandate ending up seeing positive performance of the Institute,” he observed.
Together with that, Dr. Kilambo unveiled a positive trend in the country’s coffee growing sector, saying the Institute has succeeded to extend cultivation of the cash crop in some new regions and districts, including Katavi and Geita regions, Serengeti District in Mara Region and Kakonko District in Kigoma region.
“Our research has so far proved that the new mentioned areas have useful potential for the production of healthier coffee beans, the revelation which currently allows the country to expand scope of its coffee production,” he added.
Apart from fetching numerous progress, Dr. Kilambo noted that the Institute was however still troubled with several constraints.
“Stakeholder’s contribution is currently considered as a major funding source for the Institute but our major focus is now to continue working harder to reduce donor dependence and to open a fresh chapter in which contributions to TaCRI will largely be sourced from increased volume of coffee production and prices in local and international markets,” he stated.
He said dramatic changes in coffee prices may affect financially sustainable support to TaCRI, noting that the state-owned Institute was taking other serious measures to ensure stability in financial resources such as discovering internal avenues of getting funds from internal activities.
TaCRI was incorporated in 2000 as a company limited by guarantee and without share capital under the Companies Ordinance (CAP. 212), and it became legally constituted and operational in September 2001 with the major objective of rejuvenating the Tanzania coffee industry, placing new emphasis on stakeholder-led, demand-driven research for development.
Objective of TaCRI is to rejuvenate the Tanzania coffee industry by placing new emphasis on the role of stakeholder-led and client demand-driven research for development.
The Institute provides a crucial public service to stakeholders in the country’s coffee industry by providing coffee producers with relevant and practical technological innovations and advice to improve productivity and quality but also enhance profitability and livelihoods for coffee producers and increased competitiveness of Tanzanian coffee on the world market.
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