Increased value creation through small farmers
Field crops such as bananas, cassava, sweet potatoes, or plantains are produced by small farmers in Tanzania. But like anywhere in the world, the farmers earn little on the unprocessed agricultural products.
During his visit to the Kagera region, General Secretary Dr. Markus Demele was therefore impressed with the work of the Kolping Families in further processing their products. Banana wine was made from bananas; sweet potatoes were turned into donuts, chips, and mandazi. They also produce soap and various braided baskets and mats. The higher the value added in the production process, the more income the small farmers can earn.
“The direction is right,” says Markus Demele. The processing of products on a large scale through joint enterprises, i.e. as readily packed dried fruit and other products for the East-African market is hopefully no longer far away.
