Posted on January, 28, 2019 at 08:54 am
THE Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) yesterday appealed to regions to use the cluster system to promote agricultural productivity because the system has proved its worth in propping up industries and liberating peasants from shackles of poverty in the southern regions.
SAGCOT Chief Executive Officer Geoffrey Kirenga told reporters in Dar es Salaam yesterday in the new year greetings to Tanzanians that Sagcot salutes farmers in the southern regions for supporting the government, Sagcot and making gainful use of opportunities unearthed by two clusters launched to serve peasants in Iringa, Njombe, Mbeya, and Songwe regions.
Sagcot, launched in 2010, was tasked to raise the socio-economic status of peasants in southern regions of Tanzania and help the regions regain their lost glory of being a national granary.
“The secret behind the socio-economic gains we are associated with in our corridor is the cluster system which we conceived and have supervised very closely because it is an inclusive system. If this system will be adopted by regions that are anxious to learn from our corridor, national agricultural production will steadily and reasonably go up,” the CEO modestly explained.
SAGCOT defines a cluster as a geographic concentration of interconnected companies, specialized suppliers, service providers and associated institutions. In clusters farmers and stakeholders collectively identify priority crops and services and ensure productivity.
Two operational clusters in the southern regions are Ihemi (serving Iringa and Njombe peasants) and Mbarali (Mbeya and Songwe regions).
Kirenga said more clusters are planned to serve peasants in Ludewa, Rufiji na Sumbawanga. A new operational Kilombero Cluster was recently launched to serve smallholders in Morogoro Region.
He said tomato production has increase in Ihemi cluster, Tanzania no longer imports tomatoes and two tomato processing industries have been established.
Kirenga said Sagcot is looking forward to see curious regional leaderships adopt the cluster system to increase agricultural production and raise peasants’ welfare in other parts of Tanzania.
“We have to ensure we have a stable efficient agriculture that steadily and efficiently feeds national industries. Agriculture is so key in all our national goals that every stakeholder must take it very seriously,” he said.
The CEO said the successes could not have been gained without the generous support of the Tanzania Government, UKAID, Norwegian Embassy, USAID, UNDP, the World Bank and AGRA.
Source: IPP Media