RICE farmers in the Mawalla area of Moshi District, Kilimanjaro Region, are set to boost their earnings thanks to plans for a new paddy processing facility.
This initiative was announced by Chairman of the Foundation for Community Transformation in Kilimanjaro Region (FTK), Jaffari Ally, during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between FTK and the Moshi District Council (MDC).
The agreement paves the way for a paddy valueadding project in Mawalla. The project will involve building and equipping a paddy threshing machine in Mawalla village, located in Kahe West ward.
A threshing machine separates grain from stalks and husks, a crucial step in preparing paddy for sale or other uses.
Mr Ally explained that the new facility will eliminate the need for local farmers to travel long distances to thresh their rice.
“Farmers in Mawalla and the broader Kahe East ward, where irrigation projects like Oria, Ngasini and Mawala (Ongama) are active, produce a lot of rice,” he noted.
“However, their income suffers due to a lack of local infrastructure to process their harvest.”
“This project will enable them to add value to their paddy, improving their livelihoods and strengthening rice cultivation in the area.” This project is one of many FTK is undertaking in partnership with the Moshi District Council.
These collaborations aim to improve residents’ well-being while also boosting the district council’s income.
Other ongoing projects cover education, health, road infrastructure, irrigation and environmental conservation.
Speaking at MOU signing, the Acting District Executive Director of the Moshi District Council, Fridolin Mpanda, thanked the TPC and FTK leaderships for the various projects being implemented in the council which he said have contributed significantly to improving the well-beings of the people in the district.
The Assistant Executive Director of FTK Kuya Nangai, said that the project will contribute among other things to increasing employment opportunities.
“The jobs are direct from the project itself and the selfemployment area due to the fact that the existence of the rice value-added project will encourage many young people to engage in rice farming so as to earn an income”, he said.
A resident of Mawalla area Kibaru Kimani village, said the construction of a paddy threshing factory will reduce the challenge of walking long distances that people of the area face after every harvesting period.
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