Posted on November, 14, 2018 at 09:50 am
THE government has directed all district councils in the country to set aside budget for the establishment of agriculture resource centres.
The call made by the Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Omar Mgumba, saying most small producers have no access to the right information for agricultural productivity.
He said farmers and animal keepers in the rural areas need to get information, especially on what the market needs.
On the same note, he called on small scale producers in the country to focus on adopt technologies that give them high returns in order to make profit.
He said there is the notion among farmers, aiming to get high profit from their production yet they are not doing all it takes for that.
According to the deputy minister, most small producers do not do much but expect to get profit, calling on them to produce extensively which can give better returns even when prices slump following changes in the market.
Speaking during the launch of Forum for Rural Producers in Tanzania (JUWAVITA) here yesterday, he said the government is determined to uplift small scale producers, especially the rural-based population.
He challenged the producers to make good use of the launched forum to help advocate on issues affecting them.
“The government is ready to work with small producers through cooperative unions, I therefore urge you to form them for easier financing,” he said.
To prove this, he said the government promised to give out 300 tractors for cotton farmers but had already offered 50 of them.
It has also issued 24 tractors to Kilosa district council and some other ten to Sokoine University, for practical agriculture studies.
The deputy minister added that it is high time small producers focus on changing from peasant production to improved agriculture with better yields.
Speaking about the forum, he thanked the organizers for the efforts to help have a common voice among small producers.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),country representative , Fred Kafeero, while speaking at the meeting noted that the forum would help bridge the gap of representation between small producers and policy makers.
“Contribution of this forum is very important for the betterment small producers,” he noted.
Speaking on behalf of donor partners on agriculture, he thanked the Agriculture Non State Actors Forum (ANSAF) for the good coordination of the meeting, noting that the forum will help increase transparency among small producers.
The Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Water, chairperson, Mahmoud Mgimwa, called on the civil societies to work together through the forum and voice their opinions.
He said while performing their representative roles as MPs, they will also work closely with the just formed forum.
Source: IPP Media