DAR ES SALAAM Tanzania (Xinhua) -- Tanzania and the European Union (EU) on Wednesday launched three rice projects in Tanzania aimed at increasing competitiveness and improving the post-harvest value chain. The 4.5-million-Euro project is expected to benefit more than 30,000 smallholder farmers in eastern and southern Tanzania’s regions of Morogoro and Iringa. Funded by the EU, the three South Agriculture Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) rice projects will focus on equipping the farmers with post-harvest management skills to enhance their competitiveness in the market. They will be implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Tanzania, HELVETAS Swiss Interco-operation and the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) Tanzania. Speaking at the official launch of the three projects, Mary Mwanjelwa, Tanzania’s deputy minister for agriculture, said the projects will add to the ongoing efforts by the government to reduce post-harvest losses which account for about 40 percent of all harvests.