Tanzania’s minister for livestock and fisheries, Luhaga Mpina (MP), was the guest of honour at the official opening of the Livestock Expo and National Milk Week held at Arusha, TZ, from 30 May to 1 June.

From left: ILRI’s Iain Wright, Tanzania Minister Luhaga Mpina, unidentified man, ILRI assistant Mercy Becon, and ILRI country representative Amos Omore. The minister heard from Omore about the various projects ILRI has helped support during its more than 20 years in Tanzania.

The minister’s speech, delivered in Swahili before several hundred livestock stakeholders, extolled the benefits of a sustainable livestock sector and affirmed the government’s commitment to raising the profile of animal-sourced foods for both economic and nutritional reasons. ‘We are ready to engage with our herders, NGOs, and business to improve our livestock productivity,’ he said. Amos Omore, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) country representative in Tanzania, said that he was particularly gratified that the minister quoted several times from the Tanzania livestock master plan (LMP), which ILRI helped craft. The LMP sets out the investment options—in better genetics, feed and health services, and policy support—that could help Tanzania improve its productivity in the value chains for poultry, pork, red meat, milk, and dairy cows. Iain Wright congratulated the Tanzanian Dairy Board and the Agricultural Council of Tanzania for organizing the first National Livestock Expo and Conference and added, ‘I also welcome the commitment of the minister Mpina to support the development of livestock industries.’

For more on Iain Wright’s keynote address to the fair, read this ILRI News blog article.