Posted on April, 7, 2022 at 10:00 am
THE government is mulling over establishing Tanzania agricultural growth corridors in various parts of the country, as part of strategies to improve productivity of the sector in the economy, the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Hussein Bashe, announced yesterday.
Mr Bashe made the announcement in his speech during an event to hand over motorcycles and other working equipment including soil quality scanners to agriculture extension officers from 143 local councils.
The event held in Dodoma was graced by President Samia Suluhu Hassan and Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa, among other leaders. Minister Bashe said the envisaged corridors will be established alongside the model of the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) initiative.
Objectives of the corridor include boosting agricultural productivity, improve food security, reduce poverty and ensure environmental sustainability through the commercialisation of smallholder agriculture.
"Based on the lessons we have learned from SACGOT, we find it important to establish agricultural corridors for production of crops based on comparative and competitive advantage of respective areas," he stated.
Mr Bashe reasoned that production of food and cash crops in far-flung areas is not productive since it does not benefit from economies of scale compared to mass production in nearby concentrated areas.
He mentioned areas of priority for the ministry as research and development, provision of extension services, high quality seeds, fertilisers as well as pesticides and testing of soil.
In a related development, the minister highlighted that starting next fiscal year the government will construct storage facilities for agriculture produce in areas close to where the crops are produced.
He was confident that establishment of the facilities closer to the people will play a crucial role in reducing post harvest loss which is presently at 30 per cent.
According to Mr Bashe, 61 per cent of Tanzanians are directly engaged in farming while between 15 and 20 per cent are involved in value addition of agricultural produce. In total over seven million households are engaged in agriculture. He, however, expressed concerns that exports value of the sector have recorded a meager increase to 1.2 billion US dollars from 800 million US dollars despite its huge potential in attracting foreign exchange.
Earlier, the Minister of State in President's Office (Regional Administration and Local Government), Mr Innocent Bashungwa, said he was upbeat that provision of the equipment to the extension officers will transform the agriculture sector.
"Lack of equipment was among major challenges facing the sector; I don't think the extension officers will have any excuse for providing services to the people now that they have been provided with mode of transport and required equipment," he told the officials at the meeting.
Mr Bashungwa further directed regional and district commissioners as well as District Executive Directors (DEDs) to closely monitor and supervise the extension officers in their day to day activities.
For his part, the Secretary General of ruling party CCM, Mr Daniel Chongolo, said transformation of the agriculture sector from subsistence to commercial farming is one of the areas of priority outlined in the CCM manifesto of 2020-2025.
Mr Chongolo said the manifesto of the ruling party also stresses on provision of high quality and safe seeds, fertilisers, pesticides as well as testing of soil to enable farmers on suitable type of crops to be planted and type of nutrients to be used.
Source: Daily News