Press Release: Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Tanzania launches soybean value chain project “Soya ni

[Livanga]

PRESS RELEASE
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Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Tanzania launches soybean value chain project “Soya ni Pesa (SnP)”

CRS announces an event to formally launch of the Soya ni Pesa (SNP) project on December 4, 2013, to take place at the Julius Nyerere International Conference Centre (JNICC) in Dar es Salaam. CRS is bringing together the government of Tanzania, donors, private sector, and national and international NGOs to discuss and share experiences, challenges, and opportunities to improve the soybean value chain development.

The launch event takes place one year after SNP activities started in the field in Njombe and Ruvuma regions. The project is currently reaching 3,000 smallholder farmers with assistance in production and marketing of soybeans, with a goal of increasing coverage to more than 11,000 farmers over the 4-year duration of the project. While soybeans have been grown in Tanzania since the early 1900s, there is a large and untapped potential to increase domestic production and processing, given the right investments. Soybean crops have the potential to improve soil fertility, provide a source of protein for human consumption and animal feed, and contribute to income for Tanzanian smallholder farmers. The SNP project aims to double current production levels by 2016, while also promoting localized poultry raising for egg and meat production.

In its first year, the SNP project linked participating farmers to potential buyers which resulted in sales of 850 MTs at two to three times the conventional price. This shows that it is possible for smallholder farmers to generate profits from soybeans, while buyers can satisfy at least part of their demand for this crop domestically. The poultry component has reached 1,000 households with training on chicken and egg production. The SNP project launch event will bring together the many different stakeholders in the soybean value chain, including Government of Tanzania representatives, soybean producer groups, private sector buyers and processors, donor agencies, and other actors interested in soybeans, the Southern Agricultural Corridor (SAGCOT), and value chain development.

CRS is the official relief and development agency of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, and has been working in Tanzania for over 50 years. CRS works in partnership with local organizations, including the Catholic Church, secular NGOs, and other organizations, in efforts to support vulnerable communities to meet their basic needs. SNP is implemented in Tanzania through local partners Caritas Songea, Caritas Njombe, and WOPATA in Ruvuma, Njombe, and Morogoro respectively. Muvek is implementing the poultry production component of the project in Njombe and Songea.

For more information please contact:
Amsalu Gebreselassie
Project Director, Soya Ni Pesa
Cell: +255.762.748.311
amsalu.gebreselassie@crs.org
www.crs.org.