The story of Dominique

'Small investments, big future'

Dominique Emanuel is new to vegetable growing. He recently invested in a small greenhouse in his village of Moshono and received technical advice from Rijk Zwaan. The first results are promising and, together with his son, he has grand ambitions for the future.

Investments

“I used to work as a driver for a tour company in Arusha, but I’ve always been interested in farming. I decided to start in poultry farming but I struggled to build a good business. During ‘Nane Nane’ (the national farmer’s day) I came into contact with Rijk Zwaan; they inspired me to move into the vegetable industry. I had some money in the bank and their crop advisor convinced me to invest it in indoor crops. I put my trust in him and constructed a small-scale greenhouse.”

Basic tips

“Rijk Zwaan advised me to start with peppers. The greenhouse would give me the opportunity to be an early supplier in the market, which should benefit me in terms of sales. Growing vegetables was all new to me but I had full backup from Rijk Zwaan, including after I’d bought the seeds. Through visits by their crop advisor and topical tips via WhatsApp they helped me out with basic tips about pruning and fertilisation, but also about the importance of hygiene and the best timing for spraying. In the first year I managed to get a yield of 18 kg/m2. By selling the products on the market I earned back my costs very quickly!”

Growing business

“My son is currently doing a bachelor in marketing but he already knows that he wants to take over the business. Both of us are convinced that growing vegetables in Tanzania will have a big future. We've just become a member of TAHA, the Tanzanian Horticultural Association which can help us with our plans to export to Kenya. And we still have enough empty land around us. We see this first greenhouse as a ’mother’ and hope it will ’give birth’ to many others..!”