Posted on May, 31, 2021 at 09:25 am
VICE-President Dr Phillip Mpango (pictured) yesterday ordered agricultural input companies to start producing seeds in the country instead of importing from abroad.
Dr Mpango said the move would play a crucial role in boosting agricultural productivity, assuring quality yields. Besides, the vice-president instructed the ministry of Agriculture to make a close followup on the implementation of the government's directives.
Dr Mpango issued the directives when gracing the national symposium on remembrance of the life of former Prime Minister, the late Edward Sokoine.
The symposium was organised by the Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) in Morogoro.
"The Ministry of Agriculture should make a close follow-up on this, at the same time, heads of institutions that are importing the seeds from abroad instead of producing them within the country should evaluate themselves whether they still fit for their positions," he noted.
The VP reassured the government's determination to increase productivity in the Agriculture sector, which is the backbone of the country's economy, in a way that would be honouring the ideas and vision of the late Sokoine. He thus called on the ministry of Agriculture alongside the Livestock and Fisheries dockets to supervise implementation of the government's strategies for the positive and progress of the sector.
Two ministries, according to Dr Mpango, should take measures to support farmers and pastoralists with modern equipment and technologies for them to increase earning and make profit from their efforts.
"The services from agriculture extension and veterinary officers should be extended to small scale farmers and pastoralists in all villages," insisted Dr Mpango, who was also concerned with low harvest from the sector.
"There has been insufficient harvest in all crops including cotton, cashew nuts, tea and sisal as well as livestock products such as leather," he added.
In 2019, the agriculture sector contributed 26.9 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and grew by 4.9 per cent in 2020 compared to 4.4 per cent in the same year.
The agriculture sector also contributed to 58.1 per cent of employment and 65 per cent of industrial raw materials. On Monday, the Minister for Agriculture Prof Adolf Mkenda said his docket has for the coming financial year 2021/2022 plans to undertake comprehensive research on agricultural seedlings and intensifying irrigation farming. In this regard, the ministry has increased the budget for the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) from 7.35bn/- in 2020/2021 to about 11.63bn/- in the next financial year 2021/2022.
Tabling the budget in the Parliament for the next financial year, Prof Mkenda said that the country plans to have 107, 280 tonnes of seedlings out of which, 35,000 will constitute cotton only. He added that 2,300 seedlings are expected to be produced by TARI, while another 5,480 are expected to be produced by the Agricultural Seed Agency (ASA) and that 65,000 tonnes will come from the private sector.
In boosting the quality of seed, he noted, the ministry had doubled the budget for ASA from 5.4bn/- during 2020/2021 financial year to a whopping 10.6bn/- in the next financial year.
The minister also outlined other key priorities in the next budget such as strengthening of revenue sources to have money for development expenditures in order to increase capacity for research on agriculture.
Source: Daily News