The Eastern and Southern African Small Scale farmers’ Forum (ESAFF), in partnership with national farmers’ organisation (Mviwata) and Gret, a French based consulting firm, have organised a three-day regional workshop on bulk markets and cross border trade to begin today.

According to Mviwata Executive Director, Stephen Ruvuga, the three-day meeting is convened to share experience on bulk markets within the East African Community countries.

He said the meeting to be held in Morogoro region will bring together government representatives, policy makers, traders and farmers from the East African region.

He said among other objectives of the workshop include to identify and develop strategies for better links between farmers and traders within the region, make policy recommendations which will strengthen regional agricultural trade and have the governments adopt them so as to support small scale farmers in marketing their agricultural produce.

He further said Mviwata in partnership with ESAFF and Gret is implementing a project dubbed ‘Involving small scale farmers in policy dialogue and monitoring for improved food security in the East African region’ which if funded by the European Union.

The objective of the project is to contribute to inclusive formulation and implementation of demand driven-policies for improved food security within the East African Community countries through increased engagement of small scale farmers and scaling up of successful food security local initiatives. The project is being implemented in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.

Ruvuga noted that the organisation has been working on bulk markets for more than 10 years.

He said currently Mviwata has facilitated construction of 9 markets mainly targeting major produce such as rice, maize and horticultural produce.

Over the years these markets have gradually facilitated transformation of livelihoods and changed local economy by increasing farmers’ income and other market users, providing reliable links between producers and buyers, generating employment, providing services such as market information, measurement and quality aspects and attracting other private investors to come in the market set up.

Mviwata is a national farmers’ organisation which brings together small holder farmers of Tanzania to have a common voice to defend their economic, social, cultural and political interests.

Source: IPP Media

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