Amsha Institute to open Agri - Business Centres to support small and medium farmers in Lindi and Mtwara

Four agri-business centre’s will be officially launched in Lindi and Mtwara regions this month to support small scale farmers with loan facilities, undertake training on modern commercial farming and get agricultural inputs as well as food processing equipment. Chairperson of the Amsha Institute of Rural Entrepreneurs East Africa Biubwa Maingo told The Guardian at the weekend that a total of 16,000 small scale farmers would benefit from the project. Presently village councils both in Mtwara and Lindi regions have been offered 50 acres of land to help Amsha Institute and villagers to build the centres. 

The centres will be allocated in the four villages of Miumbu in Kilwa Masoko District, Ruchemi and Mtumbikile in Lindi Rural and Mkumbaru in Nanyumbu District. “As Amsha Institute, we express thanks to the village councils in the two regions for giving us the land to build the centres,” she said. Explaining on 50 acres of land, she said, among them, 20 have been allocated to build farmers’ classrooms and demonstration farms so that they can learn from there. Also 10 acres of the land have been allocated for the construction of staff offices, while another 10 acres have been allocated for the building of warehouses for storage of crops and goods. The remained 10 acres have been allocated for the construction of workers’ houses. “This is a new strategy designed by Amsha Institute so that they can reach more farmers easily, help them move from the traditional farming system to commercial farming system,” she said. 

During the implementation, the farmers are expected to l get all the services from there in terms of loan facilities, tractors, extension officers, insurance services, food processing facilities as well as information services, she said. For those who would hire tractors from the centres, they would also get full technical support on their use and maintenance, she added. Presently, FINCA has shown interest in supporting the farmers and right now a discussion between the financial institution and Amsha on how to meet this initiative is underway, she said. According to her, at Kilwa Masoko District, construction of the Amsha agri-business centre is underway and it will be officially launched on August 13, this year by Kilwa Masoko District Commissioner Abdallah Ulega. She said the centre would be allocated at Miumbu in Kinjumbi ward, noting that at the moment the villagers and Amsha Institute are working in partnership to implement the project. 

Explaining on the process of implementation, she said, Amsha will ensure that all the allocated areas are used for the intended goals and help the farmers to benefit from the services that would be offered from there. Elaborating on other centres that would be launched this month, she said at Mkumbaru in Nanyumbu District , the 

Amsha is still looking for more funds from different donors and other private firms to implement the project whereby one centre would cost at least 100m/- 

SOURCE: http://www.amsha.org/newsandevents.php?pageNum_Recordset1=1&totalRows_Recordset1=5