Friday, July 7, 2017

Agro-enterprises to benefit from new innovation centre

SEBASTIAN MRINDOKO
THE Private Agricultural Sector Support (PASS) has introduced agriculture innovation centre (AIC) to support and incubate agro-enterprises that have potential to grow with a special focus on value addition.

PASS Managing Director Mr Nicomed Bohay said at the ongoing Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF) that already 10 companies have joined the platform and will reach 20 after one year, and 177 in five years.
“We established the programme after recognising that giving guarantee and giving loan to SMEs was insufficient, there were other factors than capital stagnating their growth,” he said.
He said AIC programme is the solution to these gaps for which it pass through the whole value chain from raw materials to the market of the product. AIC compliments what PASS is doing.
He said for example, with the programme, entrepreneur will be guided to acquire the right raw materials, technology in the processing, proper branding and packaging as well as the markets for the finished goods.
“With AIC one can trace the supplier of the raw materials and technology to be acquired in order to help the SME reach the goal of producing high quality product that can penetrate easily the market,” he said.
He said to qualify for the opportunity, assessment is being done by AIC experts through various entrepreneurship testing. He said the agribusiness incubation centre, that grow together with an entrepreneur in the whole production chain is the first in the country.

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