THE government has crowned the key driver of the multi-million-dollar horticulture industry, Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA), with the highest prize in agriculture in 2022 for its exemplary work on the sector.

“TAHA has been awarded as the national winner on the NGOs category in the Nane-Nane agricultural show competition after outshining other private players in agriculture sector,” reads the certificate of achievement issued by the government.

Training on good agricultural practices, horticulture farming inspiration for youth and women, cutting-edge and climate-smart agricultural technologies demo, access to market opportunity and education on dietary are the factors behind the TAHA’s victory at the just ended National Nane-Nane Agriculture exhibitions at John Mwakangale grounds in Mbeya.

Official data shows that TAHA had trained nearly 7,000 farmers and non-farmers, all targeting horticulture farming, on good agricultural practices during the 88 agricultural fair alone.

It is understood; TAHA participated in 88 agricultural exhibitions in Arusha, Mbeya, Mwanza, Morogoro, and Unguja in Zanzibar.

“Our climate resilient agriculture approach to help farmers mitigate risks of climate change, reduce the cost of cultivation, increase productivity and enhance their adaptive capacities are the secret behind our success” said TAHA CEO, Ms Jacqueline Mkindi shortly after being declared winner before President Samia Suluhu Hassan who graced the climax of the Nane-Nane fairs.

Ms Mkindi explained that TAHA enhances farm productivity and profitability; makes farming practices climate resilient and nature friendly; and works with the government, development partners to link horticulture communities with reliable markets.

“We wouldn’t scoop this prestigious award without the great support from our development partners like USAID, SIDA and EU” TAHA boss explained.

TAHA is enjoying support from USAID to implement the Commercial Horticulture for Transformed Economy (CHOTE) project, SIDA through Swedish Embassy on the Growing Wealth Through Horticulture (GROWTH), and Make it Grow (MIG) an EU funded project under AGRI- CONNECT for horticulture sustainability and economic development in Zanzibar.

“Horticulture has the potential to create more employment especially for youth and women, increase GDP, boost foreign currency earnings, supply industry with raw materials, increase the revenue base, guarantee self-sufficiency and more importantly leapfrog other sectors of the economy,” Dr Mkindi noted.

Statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture entails that the vibrant industry has been growing at 11 percent rate annually, offering a glimpse of hope to the stagnant sector with a growth rate of only 4 percent per annum.

As it stands now, official statistics shows that horticulture has become the second largest growth driver of the entire agricultural sector after food crops, contributing nearly 25 percent of the country’s total agrarian production.

For 18-years, TAHA had successfully brought together over 4.5 million producers, traders, exporters and processors of all horticultural products – that is flowers, fruits, vegetables, tubers, spices, herbs and seeds both large-scale and smallholders farmers into a single bloc fortified by a common set of business oriented interests.

Analysts say as it stands, horticulture potential offers a glimpse of hope for the struggling agriculture industry in the backdrop of the declining traditional exports such as coffee and cotton.

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