Agribusiness fair in Arusha

Tanzania's inaugural agribusiness fair is scheduled to take place at the Selian Agricultural Research Centre in Arusha on 8-9 June.

The theme of the two-day agricultural expo is "Promoting Agribusiness for Economic Development Prosperity" which is in line with Tanzania's Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and comes as the government implements Kilimo Kwanza, an initiative aimed at reforming agricultural practices to yield greater production.

Participants at the fair will learn about a range of innovative agribusiness products and services including technology, marketing information, financing and risk mitigation, post-harvest management and biotechnology.

There are plans to make the expo an annual event, and two other similar agribusiness shows are coming up in the region - one in Lira, Uganda on 21-22 June and the other in Nakuru in Kenya on 2-3 August.

Some 80 per cent of Tanzanians depend on agriculture for their livelihood, and the sector contributes about 27 per cent of the Gross National Product (GDP), 30 per cent of total exports and 65 per cent of raw materials for local industries.