Project to Unlock Horticulture’s Potential
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The Arusha – 61B/- (Ꞓ250,000M) initiative aims to fill a knowledge gap in the horticultural sector.
The five-year Northern Highlands Education Program (NOHIED) project, run by ten Dutch horticulturalcompaniesandthe Arusha Technical College (ATC) and the Horticultural Research and Training InstituteTenger, is impacting a fast-growing sector of agriculture in Tanzania. It aims to address the challengesfaced. .
Linda Mart from the Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands said the initiative addresses the challenge’s companies face when looking for well-trained employees.
“Such companies are unable to recruit staff with the necessary knowledge and expertise. This project will help address that,” she said here recently.
Mert added that the project will save technical and vocational education (TVET) scholars the trouble oflooking forjobsafter graduation, she said. “It will also improve the professional network between DutchVET agencies,horticulturalcompanies and centers of excellence in Tanzania,” she added.
The country’s horticultural sector is undoubtedly growing rapidly and is on track to meet the TanzaniaDevelopmentVision2025 target of raising annual exports from $779 million to her $3 billion in 2019.progressing.
Tanzania now exports its horticultural products to regional countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
However, the sector suffers from substandard products, inadequate packaging materials, poor traceability systems, unreliable transport and high post-harvest losses.
Her Wiebe de Boer, the Dutch ambassador to Tanzania, said she was confident the project would help students findjobs.He described the agreement as another solid partnership between Tanzania and the Netherlands , now celebrating its 50th anniversary.
“Today we are witnessing a very important part of this cooperation. It is really rewarding to see that Hanze university has been active in Tanzania for quite some time,” the envoy added.