Feast of knowledge for food industry

Chinese experts aim to help Zanzibar's chefs raise their standards to international levels

The China National Research Institute of Food and Fermentation Industries and State University of Zanzibar have signed an agreement to collaborate in enhancing the food industry of the East African islands.

The collaboration is aimed at capacity building through training in the food industry and food technology for personnel of the university's Institute of Tourism Development.

Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania.

Huang Yutong, vice-president of the China National Research Institute of Food and Fermentation Industries, says: "By collaborating with SUZA and other institutions in Zanzibar, CNRIFFI will be putting into practice the bilateral relationship between these two nations. We want to create chefs of international quality who will be able to work internationally and who can serve better in the booming tourism industry."

Huang says representatives of the Chinese institute will make frequent visits to the university to enhance the relationship and collaborate on other projects aimed at developing Zanzibar's tourism industry.

Idris Rai, vice-chancellor of SUZA, says China has been a good friend to Zanzibar, and many Chinese higher learning institutions have shown interest in partnerships with the university. The food industry partnership will strengthen their relationship with SUZA.

"Tourism is SUZA's emerging priority, and the aim is to capture all the opportunities which are so far mostly occupied by foreigners, due to a lack of expertise among Zanzibaris," says Rai.

"We appeal to CNRIFFI to develop a joint program with SUZA in which, through the SUZA television station, the two institutions may introduce special chef programs which offer practical training."

SUZA is expected to identify the problems encountered in the industry and seek solutions from CNRIFFI under the partnership agreement.

CNRIFFI has extensive expertise and has enjoyed world-level achievements in the food field. It has also maintained a leading position within China in such areas as traditional brewery engineering technology, new food resources and functional ingredients development, food safety assurance technology and standardization technology.

Before the delegation from the Chinese institute left for China, its members visited the Kizimabani Institute of Agriculture-SUZA, where they learned about spice growing and processing. They promised to spread the word about the islands' spices.

Tourism is the main source of foreign currency in Zanzibar, which is best known for its beaches. It has reportedly received 9,018 visitors from China since the beginning of the year.

President Xi Jinping, during his visit to Tanzania in 2013, pledged to support major projects in Tanzania, including Zanzibar.

Among the projects were construction of the new Maruhub Harbor on Zanzibar's main island, the expansion of the airport and the improvement of water facilities and services through nonconditional loans from the Chinese government.

In 2013, China gave a 30-year, $73.9 million preferential loan to the government of Zanzibar for expansion work at the airport, which is on Pemba Island.

Zanzibar is also a beneficiary of three major projects from 16 agreements signed between Tanzania and China, including economic and technical cooperation, the rehabilitation and upgrading of Abdulla Mzee Hospital in Pemba and two scanners provided by China for container inspection at Zanzibar Port.

For China Daily