Vegetables and fruits smallholder farmers from central and eastern Tanzania on Monday breathed a sigh of relief as Minister of Transport Makame Mbarawa launched the introduction of five refrigerated wagons to enable them to deliver their vegetables and fruits to markets in Dar es Salaam.
The refrigerated wagons, which were donated to the Tanzania Railway Corporation (TRC) by the World Food Program (WFP), will be ferrying the horticultural crops, including vegetables and fruits, from Dodoma and Morogoro regions to markets in Dar es Salaam, the commercial hub of Tanzania, said Mbarawa, adding that the services will be provided to other regions if it proves successful.
Masanja Kadogosa, TRC director general, said the WFP donated the five refrigerated wagons after the railway corporation had successfully transported food aid donated by the WFP to areas where the food was needed.
Kadogosa said previous studies had shown that smallholder farmers in Dodoma and Morogoro regions produced 71,479 metric tons of vegetables and fruits annually. “The introduction of the refrigerated wagons will help control post-harvest losses incurred by the farmers.”
