Mwananchi Communication Limmited
Summary
· The project that will be implemented in three years aims at promoting the crop business and job creation to the youth.
Dar es Salaam. Over Sh30 billion is
expected to be injected in the implementation of vanilla farming project in the
capital, Dodoma.
The project that will be implemented
in three years aims at promoting the crop business and job creation to the
youth.
Vanilla Village Limited CEO Simon
Mnkondya told The Citizen that the investment comes after success recorded in
Zanzibar.
He said the money will be utilized
for construction of greenhouses that provide optimal temperature and humidity
favourable for vanilla farming.
Vanilla Village Limited CEO Simon
Mnkondya at one of the farm in Dodoma.
Mr Mnkondya said greenhouses are
provided with raingun irrigation systems aimed at providing the crops with dew
conditions which is essential for vanilla production.
“About 40 bore wells will be drilled
to provide sufficient water to the farm as well as constructing reliable roads
to the farm. Also, a produce processing plant will be built as some of the
funds will be used for procurement of seeds,” he said.
Furthermore, he said about 130
Tanzanians are currently working on the project, 60 percent of them women from
vulnerable situations and agriculture experts.
According to him, the project will
cover 125 hectares of land while 1,350 people will be recruited.
“They include people who will
indirectly participate in vanilla farming but benefit with the expertise of
vanilla village,” he said.
He said after three years of
investment, the company is expecting to harvest 70 tonnes of the produce,
therefore meeting annual demands of clients in Dubai, Germany and the US.
Mr Mnkondya said vanilla market
speculators from Israel and Germany have predicted that in the next six years,
the crop will be sold at $1,500 per kilo which is equivalent to Sh3.585
million.
He said in the last 12 years, the
crop was sold at $50 per kilo which is equal to Sh119,500 at the present
exchange rate of Sh2,390 per US dollar.
Currently, the crop is sold at $500
per kilo which is equivalent to Sh1.2 million.
“Even if the price of vanilla
plunges, the crop will maintain its second position among crops fetching high
prices behind saffron which is sold at $5,000 per kilo, advising Tanzanians
that under the country’s context vanilla was the future.
Vanilla greenhouses in Zanzibar
Furthermore, Mr Mnkondya said his
investment in the auspicious Zanzibar has been attracting an average of 50 to
70 tourists per day for learning purposes and procurement of goods.
He commended the government for its
support including leaders who have joined the investment race
for crop production.
“Dodoma has a conducive environment
for vanilla farming including presence of non-acidic water and fertile soil,”
he said.
He said the crop which is used as
spice originated from southern eastern Mexico and Central America, noting that
other countries cultivating the crop are Tahiti, Uganda, India, Comoro and
Madagascar.
Furthermore, he said vanilla entered
Tanzania in 1954 from neighbouring Uganda and started to be grown commercially
in 1992 before making the country among major producers.
“Vanilla Village Limited has been
educating farmers theoretically and practically about vanilla farming using its
block farms for demonstrations,” he said.
Studies have established that vanilla
increases children’s level of memorization capability, hence increasing the
general academic performance.
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