TOKYO-Earlier this week, Ambassador Baraka Luvanda, accompanied by Mr. Primus Kimaryo, Director General of the Tanzania Coffee Board (TCB), held bilateral discussions with Hon. Watanabe Yoichi, Vice-Minister for International Affairs at Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) - accompanied by Hon. Mitsuo Takahashi, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan, as well as other senior officials from MAFF.
The discussions focused on the strong bilateral relationship between Tanzania and Japan in the agriculture sector, particularly regarding the Enhanced Linkages between Private Sector and Small-Scale Producers (ELPS) project.
This initiative is being implemented in collaboration with the Government of Japan, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the Japanese private sector.
The UN’s IFAD, MAFF, and two leading Japanese companies-coffee manufacturer UCC Ueshima Coffee Co., Ltd. (UCC) and trading company Marubeni Corporation (Marubeni)-launched a pilot project aimed at supporting small-scale coffee producers in Tanzania to sustainably increase their production and quality.
The collaboration was announced at the Sustainable Coffee Production Project event held at the United Nations University in Tokyo, on 20 September 2024.
This pilot project is the first initiative to be launched under the ELPS initiative, which Japan is leading during its G7 presidency in 2023.