Income of Tanzanian poultry farmers increases with 44 percent

In Northern Tanzania Trias supports 841 underprivileged poultry farmers. For the last six years their livestock has nearly tripled, while their income increased with 44 percent.

The multifunctional youth centre has to help to slow down the flight from the countryside in the Northeast of Tanzania. The youth department of the agricultural organization Mviwamo wants to use the building for educational purposes, providing microcredit and the sale of agricultural products.
 

Last year, the Tanzanian youths drew up a first business plan together with Flemish youths of the same age. That moment, they decided to give priority to the processing of corn and the sale of beans, sunflower oil and corn meal. In the meantime the government has provided a piece of land where the building can be constructed. Now they only have to wait for a building permit.

While the administrative mill is turning, the entrepreneurial youths of Mviwamo continue with the preparations. From March 26th until March 29th, they did a marketing study. A focus group of ten youths was thoroughly interrogated on how they are going to wrap up the products and which other demands they have to obey.

Afterwards five youths questioned potential customers on the street about their buying behavior. “They wanted to know how much corn meal, beans and oil people buy and where they buy it. They also were asked which aspects they find important about these products and about their packaging”, says Trias-employee Janneke Beemster. The interviewers also went to inform their selves in schools and restaurants.

“Most of the questioned people were very cooperative, although they’re not used to this kind of surveys in Tanzania. A minority responded slightly suspicious, because they quickly fear that this kind of information is being used by the tax collectors office”, Beemster explains. The assembled information will be analyzed the following weeks and processed into the business plan. 

In October 10.000 Flemish youths worked for a day in a company or organization. They gave their pay, amounting 40 Euros, to Trias, for the construction of the multifunctional youth centre in Namanga. The area is economically very dependent from cattle-breeding, but had to deal with extreme drought the last few years. The widespread aids virus is also very problematic for the development of the area.

To read more: http://www.triasngo.org/trias-worldwide/tanzania/news/back_to/tanzania/article/marketing-plan-for-ambitious-youth-centre-in-tanzania/