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| National |
| Trip motivates coffee farmers |
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by
Francis Tayanjah-Phiri in Moshi, Tanzania, 08 June 2004
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19:01:58
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The infrastructural development of Moshi town and the Kilimanjaro area as a result of coffee growing in Tanzania has won the hearts of Malawian coffee growers on a study tour.
“This is splendid, how I wish our own coffee growing areas of Misuku, Chakaka (Nchenachena) and Nkhata Bay highlands were equally developed! I am optimistic if we could work harder we could be at par with our colleagues here and at the same time make coffee a major forex earner for Malawi,” said grower and trustee for Small Holder Coffee Farmers’ Trust (SHCF) Winfred Mziwa.
Mziwa is part of a 31-member delegation to Tanzania which is being led by the trust’s chair Clement Khembo.
The delegation comprises trustees, workers of the trust, government officials and the media.
Coffee is one of the main forex earners for Tanzania.
The delegation is set to visit coffee plantation, processing plants, auction house, and conduct learning clinics with their Tanzanian counterparts.
“Apart from interacting with growers, we would also like to see the marketing system here and see what best we can get from the structures here and marry with whatever we have to improve our small holder Malawian coffee industry,” said SHFT general manager Harrison Kalua.
According to Tanzania Coffee Board, the bulk of coffee that the country is famed for internationally is produced by small holder growers.
“Coffee is an important crop to Tanzania as it earns about 30 percent of the country’s GNP, and let me stress that about 95 percent of coffee produced in Tanzania is grown by small holder growers,” said Musa Kopwe, the boards’ corporation Secretary in an interview. |
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