Deputy Head of Mission, Ms Hinke Nauta, said in Dar es Salaam recently that the agriculture and food security gained more attention because the Netherlands and Tanzania have longstanding cooperation on the sector.

 

She noted this at the Embassy in Dar es Salaam during the farewell part for 50 Tanzanians who have been selected under the Netherlands Fellowship Programme (NFP) to go for studies in Netherlands.

 

The fellows are expected to depart within the next few days. The vast majority of the fellows would attend courses on agriculture and food security. "Your challenge is to ensure that you make impact to organisational and country level after you come back to Tanzania," she told the fellows.

 

Out of the 50 fellows, 39 are going for master degree courses while the remaining 11 would take short courses. Since early 1970s, at least 5,000 Tanzanian mid-career professionals have been awarded scholarships to study in the Netherlands.

 

Ms Nauta noted that the NFP has contributed to human resource development and capacity building in more than 50 countries, including Tanzania. "Some of the alumni of this programme have acquired important positions in the country, thus contributing to the socio-economic development of the country," he said.

 

The NFP for Tanzania focuses on the priority sectors in the economic cooperation between Tanzania and the Netherlands, namely energy, infrastructure, agriculture, financial services and private sector development.

 

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT), Mr Geoffrey Kirenga, said the Southern highlands which produces 60 per cent of all food consumed in the country is still underutilised, calling for more investment.

 

He called on Tanzanians who get chance to study in Netherlands to ensure that they acquire knowledge and skills on how well to produce seed because the Netherlands is more advanced in seed production.

Source : allafrica.com