ABOUT 1,040 youth groups from Iringa, Njombe and Morogoro regions have benefited from loans worth 354m/- to start joint ventures businesses in various sectors including livestock, trade and agribusiness that are fundamental to uplifting their living standards.
The groups have been provided with loans through the ‘Ujana ni Uchumi Imara’ (UCHUMI) project being implemented in partnership between CARE Tanzania, Vocational Education and Training Authority (VETA) and the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT).
CARE Tanzania Resident Director, Prudence Masako said this over the weekend in a statement at the event to evaluate and conclude the UCHUMI project in Morogoro that was graced by the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, (Livestock Sector), Tixon Nzunda.
Mr Masako said that for the past two years, the UCHUMI project has been providing training to communities especially women and youth to improve production techniques in agriculture and ultimately increase the income of households and that of the nation as a whole.
“The project started in August 2020 to April 2022 where to date 1,513 young people were trained in commercial production in various fields and some were sent to model factories and farms for practical training and to experience on best production techniques later they were granted with the loan,” he said.
The youth were as well trained on how to use a digital system to run and store information, grow vegetables, fruits and commercial poultry and commercial cattle farming.
Other sectors involved in the training were the areas of recipes, cake making, tailoring and clothing, home electrification, pig farming and transport equipment, according to Masako.
Mr Nzunda hailed the project as complementing the government’s commitment to accelerating inclusive economic growth by reducing poverty and social development.
In pursuit of these goals, the PS called on public institutions that provide vocational training in agriculture and animal husbandry to put in place affordable courses that young people and farmer will be able to afford to start implementing.
