ZANZIBAR: ZANZIBAR is intensifying support for seaweed farmers through training programmes, provision of farming equipment and initiatives to strengthen market access.
Deputy Minister for Blue Economy and Fisheries, Ms Mboja Ramadhan Mshenga, said the government has supplied farmers with ropes, ties, seedlings and drying racks, including targeted support for communities in Mkoani District.
She noted that in April and May last year, the ministry, in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), trained two groups totalling 30 residents from Makoongwe Shehia in Mkoani on seaweed farming combined with sea cucumber intercropping.
Additionally, ten farmers from Kisiwapanza received farming equipment to boost production.
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Through the Marine Agriculture and Fisheries Development Project, a total of 9,203 seaweed farmers 1,927 men and 7,276 women have been trained in deep-water seaweed farming using the improved double-loop rope method, which has shown promising results.
The government is also enhancing market access by promoting private sector participation, establishing a modern quality control laboratory to improve export standards, and developing processing factories in Chamanangwe (Pemba) and MDAX Fumba (Unguja).
Plans are underway to construct five small seaweed processing plants, one in each region, to increase production capacity, add value, and improve farmers’ incomes.
Once completed, these factories are expected to create a reliable market, boosting demand for seaweed and benefiting farmers across Zanzibar, including those in Mkoani.