Tanzania: IRRI Dakawa Research Station honored by the national symbol of freedom and hope

The IRRI Dakawa Research Station in Tanzania was honored with The Uhuru Torch, the country’s symbol freedom and hope, on 18 July. First lit on top of Mt. Kilimanjaro in 1961, the torch now inspires Tanzanians with an annual run across every district the country, inaugurating and honoring selected development projects. The guiding theme for Uhuru torch is to bring hope where there is despair, love in the midst of hatred, and respect where there is none.

The Uhuru Torch race group visited IRRI-Tanzania research center consisting of demonstration plots of elite and released rice varieties, regional rice breeding nurseries, and other field trials. Mrs. Rachel Stephen Kassanda, the race leader, commended the work by IRRI-Tanzania to reduce poverty. She stressed the importance of disseminating the new rice varieties to farmers so that they can reap the fruits of research.  The Officer-In- Charge of Dakawa research station, Mr. George Iranga cited the great job done by the staff of IRRI-Tanzania, in collaboration with A.R.I. Dakawa and other research institutions, for the benefit of farmers in the country.

This year’s Uhuru Torch was lit in Bukoba, Kagera Region on 2 May by Vice President Mohamed Gharib Bilal. The event was attended by the district commissioner and other national and regional dignitaries.

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