Some 19, 000 dairy farmers benefit from TADB project

Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank (TADB) has said about 19,124 dairy farmers and 23 SMEs processors have been equipped on financing through the ‘Tanzania Inclusive Producer-Processor Partnership in dairy project’ (TI3P).

TADB through its implementing partners, TI3P, facilitated the financing of small-scale dairy farmers and processors to over 17bn/- (7.7million US dollars) to the value chain to date.

The Minister for Livestock and Fisheries Mr Abdallah Ulega said recently that the project focuses on catalysing an inclusive transformation of the Tanzania dairy sector.

“TADB is doing a good job in supporting the livestock sector and its value chain.

“However, we still have a great deal of untapped potential in this sector, and therefore much needs to be done,” the Minister said when visited the bank’s pavilion during the international milk week exhibition held at Chipukizi grounds in Tabora Municipality.

The country is one of the countries in Africa with a big number of cattle and insisted that strategic investment in the sector will increase productivity and help to improve the livelihoods of many small livestock keepers and the country as a whole.

The TI3P aims at promoting public-private investments to increase the incomes of small-scale dairy farmers through increased formal milk aggregation, sustainable scale-up of on-farm production and productivity, growth of dairy processing and increased demand.

The minister said his ministry had initiated a BBT programme specifically for livestock in Tabora, one of the regions with a big population of livestock in the country as one of the initiatives to reap more from the sector.

He instructed TABD to join forces with a team from his ministry to make the project a success.

TADB’s Acting Zonal Manager for Western Zone Mr Furaha Sichula told the minister that the bank in collaboration with other partners is implementing the three-year project dubbed TI3P.

“One of the key milestones reached by the TI3P project is TADB’s financial support for the dairy value chain.

Also, they have been informed about financial opportunities, requirements, and procedures to access financing at TADB,” he elaborated.