TWO MAJOR POULTRY PRODUCTION PROJECTS LAUNCHED IN DAR ES SALAAM

Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Wiebe de Boer speaks during the launching of  poultry disease diagnosis project in Dar es Salaam recently.

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By Staff Writer, Dar es Salaam

The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Dar es Salam launched two major projects to speed up the growth of the poultry sub-sector. It introduced a poultry disease diagnosis project and then a poultry curriculum assessment project. All these initiatives are geared towards promoting agricultural growth in quality seeds, fishing, horticulture and ensuring sustainable poultry production in Tanzania.

The two major projects aim at having a comprehensive exchange of knowledge and technology to control poultry disease and ensure a relevant curriculum is in place to sustain the growth of poultry production in the country.

Through these initiatives the Embassy recent invited Aeres Training Centre (ATC) from the Netherlands, which is an international training and consultancy hub of Aeres, a leading Dutch education group in the green domain to visit Tanzania with the aim of identifying knowledge gaps and areas for improvement.

With over 50 years of experience in practical training, ATC supports professionals, companies, and public institutions worldwide in strengthening knowledge and skills in agriculture, animal husbandry, food systems, and sustainable living.

Speaking at the official launch of the poultry curriculum assessment project in Dar es Salaam recently, the Netherlands Embassy Counsel for Economic Affairs John Mike Jagger said the embassy and the Netherland enterprises were excited for the project launch as Tanzania’s poultry production experiences rapid growth, driven by increasing protein needs of a bourgeoning population.

“We all know chickens are great at laying eggs – but today, we are here to lay the foundation for a stronger poultry sector in Tanzania,” he noted.

He said that it was wonderful to see all poultry stakeholders coming together and highlighting both the importance of poultry sub-sector and its openness to positive change and development.

He went on to say that the Tanzania poultry sub-sector held incredible potential and was experiencing rapid growth, driven by the increasing demand for protein in the fast-growing population.

“While much of the poultry sub-sector still operates informally, many poultry farmers are transitioning from subsistence farming to commercial production. This shift brings about exciting opportunities, but also the challenge of ensuring farmers have access to the right knowledge and training and investing in education and skills development is essential for improving efficiency, productivity and long-term sustainability in this sector,” says Mr Jagger, Counsel for Economic Affairs.

He said that the Dutch were familiar with the poultry sub-sector with almost five times as many chickens as inhabitants they have, but they are happy to share their insights, enhancing practical skills and share knowledge on poultry farming.

Mr Jagger stressed that Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) already offered a good overview of animal husbandry. “However,” he explained, “insights from the Tanzania Livestock Training Agency (LITA) show a need for more targeted, practical and specialised training.”

Furthermore, he said the poultry curriculum assessment project would bring about exciting opportunities that would pave the way for farmers to get the right knowledge, training and skills development in the poultry sub-sector that would address unemployment in the country.

For her part, Tanzania Veterinary Laboratory Agency (TVLA) Chief Executive Officer, Dr Stella Bitanyi, said the project aims at putting in place a roadmap for the improvement of poultry farming contribution to the livelihoods of the majority of businesspersons, farmers and other poultry stakeholders.

She added that in Tanzania 96 per cent of livestock farmers kept indigenous chickens, usually in small flocks of an average of up to 20 chickens, but only supplied less than 20 per cent of poultry meat and egg demand in the country.

“The growth rate of the industry is low, with an average of 2.6 per cent per year, egg production is less than 2.5 billion eggs per year, with the consumption rate which is equivalent to one egg per person per week,” she said.

Dr Bitanyi said one chicken per person per year consumption was skewed to medium- to high-income populations in urban areas, but demand was high across the country.

“Investing in education and skills development is essential for improving efficiency, productivity and long-term sustainability in this sub-sector,” said ATC project lead Johan Hissink from the Netherlands.

He added that said a delegation from ATC would engage and collaborate with Tanzania Livestock Training Agency (LITA) and other stakeholders across Dar es Salaam, Iringa, Morogoro and Coast Region to identify areas for improvements.

This project will be implemented by LITA, and ATC of the Netherlands will underline Tanzanian poultry sub-sector problems and team up through the curriculum set-up to address them effectively.

“We are here to help develop a suitable poultry curriculum which will assist the poultry farming sub-sector to address its challenges from vocational training centres to the grassroots, especially young farmers and women in rural areas,” he explained.

He said Aeres Tech was established in 2016, following a series of mergers between existing Dutch training centres.

Director of Production and Marketing Stephen Michael said the project would also equip farmers and the youth in terms of acquiring knowledge, skills and technical knowhow on the best way to improve poultry farming.

LITA Chief Executive Officer, Dr Pius Mwambene, said the poultry curriculum assessment project would help farmers and other poultry stakeholders get more skills and technical knowhow.

“We have curriculums in poultry farming and in the agricultural sector, but this will focus on skills development by grooming farmers for efficient production,” he noted. 

Dr Mwambene added that the project aims at transforming poultry practical skills and innovations for sustainable poultry sub-sector development in the country.

The poultry disease diagnosis project seeks to address animal health challenges, while ensuring food security in the country by improving laboratory diagnosis and using new technologies for sustainable animal health.

However, the sixth phase government under Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan allowed the launch of a national campaign for the sensitisation of livestock vaccination with an estimation budget of Sh28.1 billion aiming at boosting trade in livestock and its relevant products in and outside the country.

Besides Tanzania’s poultry sub-sector experiencing rapid growth stakeholders said the poultry sub-sector was crucial for economic opportunities as it addresses unemployment challenges to the majority of young men and women in the country.

The Embassy of the Netherlands and the government collaborate to ensure the sustainability of the poultry sub-sector in the country.