Dar Es Salaam, Oct 17 (IANS): State-run Tanzania Coffee Board (TCB) has said that it would distribute 3 million Robusta coffee seedlings to farmers free of charge to boost production of the cash crop.

Priscus Kimaryo, the Acting Director General of TCB, said on Sunday that all preparations for the distribution of the seedlings have been made, noting that the seedlings will be distributed to coffee growers in Kagera region, northwest of the country.

"The distribution of the Robusta coffee seedlings will be launched next week in Karenge village in Kyerwa district," Kimaryo added. He stressed the main reason behind the distribution of the seedlings free of charge was to boost the production of the cash crop.

Coffee is grown in 17 regions of Tanzania mainland, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the TCB statistics, coffee production in Tanzania in the past years averaged 50,000 tonne annually but efforts made by the government resulted in an increase in coffee production to 73,022 tonne in the 2020/2021 coffee harvesting season.

Kagera region leads in the production of Robusta coffee which accounts for a total of 30 to 40 per cent of all the coffee produced countrywide while Ruvuma and Songwe regions lead with Arabica coffee production accounting for 44 per cent of all the coffee produced in the country.