MTWARA is planning to almost triple the production of cashew nuts to 700,000 tonnes in four years.
The region plans to push up cashew production concurred well with the Wednesday’s wining of a brand new tractor by Mtwara-Masasi Co-operative Union (MAMCU) from the National Bank of Commerce (NBC) lottery.
Mtwara Regional Administrative Secretary, (RAS), Mr Abdallah Malela, said the prizes came at the right time as the region was implementing its strategies to increase cashew nuts production from the current 280,000 tonnes by 2025.
“The region issued a basic resolution that beginning next farming season every major cooperative union should have a 1,500-acre farm in order to meet cashew nuts and other strategic crops production targets.
“With these prizes, it is evident that you have NBC’s support and you should also support the bank,” he said.
NBC presented various prizes, including bicycles, motorcycles and a tractor to winners of the sixth ‘Vuna Zaidi na NBC Shambani’, a campaign ran by the lender.
Mr Malela also stressed on farmers in the region to make sure they cultivate a culture of saving in banks as well as maintaining financial discipline, including investing it back in farming equipment for modern farming practices, and in turn improve their economic wellbeing.
Mtwara District Commissioner, Mr Dastan Kyobya pledged to provide 1,500-acre land plot to MAMCU to be used for farming purposes, as a sign of support to the lender’s good intentions in assisting farmers.
“As NBC have begun awarding you with farming equipment, including a tractor, we, the government, will provide 1,500 acres for crops cultivation,” Mr Kyobya said while congratulating MAMCU.
Speaking at the event earlier on NBC Director of Finance, Mr Waziri Barnabas, said since the beginning of the campaign, a total of 138 winners have received various prizes, including bicycle, motor cycles, pesticides, sprayers and many other prizes such as khangas, school bags and exercise books, valued at 200m/-.
NBC’s Small and Medium Enterprises Manager, Mr Raymond Urassa, said that through the draw the bank presented 26 various types of prizes, including a tractor, seven motorcycles, nine bicycles and pesticide sprayers to individual farmers, AMCOs and regional cooperative unions in both Mtwara and Lindi.
MAMCU’s Acting General Manager, Ms Biadia Matipa said the tractor turned out to be of great assistance to the union.
“The tractor prize has come at the right time as we have already started implementing the resolution to cultivate 1,500 acres of cashew nuts and other crops,” she said.