Rombo. The government is considering constructing cold rooms in produce markets across the country using simple, cost-effective technology to reduce post-harvest losses and improve farmers’ productivity, Agriculture Minister Daniel Chongolo has said.
He said the facilities would help preserve perishable produce, including bananas, fruits and vegetables, giving farmers more time to find markets instead of suffering losses when their crops spoil before marketing.
Mr Chongolo made the remarks on Saturday, October 31, 2026, while inspecting the construction of the new Mamsera Market in Rombo District, Kilimanjaro Region, a project costing more than Sh700 million.
‘We are exploring how to construct cold rooms in our markets using simple technology that improves farmers’ productivity and delivers good results. This will allow bananas showing signs of spoilage to be stored safely,’ he said.
‘The goal is to prevent post-harvest losses. We know that when a banana tree is planted and nurtured until it produces fruit, losing the harvest means wasting all the time invested. We do not want such losses; we want to achieve 100 percent productivity,’ he said.
He added that the government was committed to improving market infrastructure to ensure farmers had reliable outlets for their produce and earned incomes that reflected their production costs.
‘The government’s goal is to promote productive agriculture and create an environment in which farmers benefit. Increased agricultural productivity should also translate into higher incomes for farmers,’ said Mr Chongolo.
In another directive, Mr Chongolo instructed the Ministry of Agriculture’s Deputy Permanent Secretary responsible for Crop Development and Food Security, Prof Peter Msofe, to ensure the Mamsera Market was completed before December 23 this year.
‘My instruction to the Deputy Permanent Secretary is that when I return here on December 23, I should be inaugurating this market. Do everything possible to ensure the work is completed on time,’ he insisted.
‘When the government allocates funds to achieve results, failure to manage them properly amounts to letting it down. We must ensure that every assignment delivers the expected results and productivity,’ he said.
He stressed that the project should address the needs of farmers and traders in Mamsera and Rombo generally to ensure the market provided services that met the requirements of the agricultural produce trade.
Regarding the Holili International Grain Market, located along the Tanzania-Kenya border, Mr Chongolo directed Prof Msofe to ensure the contractor mobilised to the site by April 2027 so that construction could begin as scheduled.
‘Let me assure you that we will construct this market. I want the Deputy Permanent Secretary to ensure that by April next year, the contractor has moved to the site so that construction can begin. We have the capacity, commitment and plans to build it. What remains is to implement those plans and achieve the intended results,’ he said.
He further directed that the market’s design should include space for a small fruit and vegetable market, enabling traders visiting to purchase grain and other produce to access a wider range of goods in one location.
He said the arrangement would broaden business opportunities and make it easier for buyers transporting produce to destinations within and outside the country to access different commodities.
For his part, Rombo MP and Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Prof Adolf Mkenda, said establishing a produce market in Holili would give farmers access to external markets, including Kenya and other countries, where they could secure better prices.
He said he wanted the market to become an international trading hub for fruits and vegetables, particularly bananas, which are produced in large quantities in Rombo District.
‘Tanzanian bananas are sold in Dubai. We want someone with an acre of banana farms here in Rombo to harvest successfully, have the bananas transported to Dubai and an Arab consumer enjoy them, while a Tanzanian earns dollars,’ said Prof Mkenda.
He also urged the ministry to ensure the Holili market had cold-storage facilities, particularly for bananas and vegetables, with separate sections for dry produce and commodities requiring refrigeration.
He said the facilities would help farmers increase their incomes, achieve economic independence and expand markets for their produce.
Prof Msofe said construction of Mamsera Market, which would cost more than Sh700 million, had reached 70 percent completion.
He said the market was expected to improve access to reliable markets for banana and avocado farmers, increase the incomes of farmers and traders and strengthen agricultural produce trade in the area.
A trader and farmer in the district, Ms Jenifa Audiface, said the lack of cold-storage facilities had forced farmers to sell their produce at low prices to avoid losses caused by spoilage.
‘This challenge particularly affects banana, avocado and vegetable farmers, who are forced to find buyers soon after harvesting because they have no safe storage facilities where they can keep their produce while waiting for better market prices,’ she said.
Another farmer, Mr Edwin Mlay, said establishing cold-storage facilities at Mamsera and Holili markets would benefit farmers and traders by allowing them to store their produce for appropriate periods, reduce post-harvest losses and improve their chances of securing buyers locally and internationally.