Posted on February, 14, 2019 at 09:34 am
PRIME Minister Kassim Majaliwa is expected to officiate at a three-day fifth annual agricultural policy conference (AAPC) scheduled for Dodoma today.
According to the coordinator of Policy Analysis Group (PAG), Prof David Nyange, the conference will attract critical policy decision- makers and stakeholders in Tanzania’s agricultural sector.
“Over 200 participants have confirmed their participation and will share latest empirical findings, assess progress in agricultural policy reforms, share successes, lessons learned, identify remaining gaps and chart out agenda for future reforms,” he said.
Prof Nyange said the AAPC’s theme was “Prioritising Agriculture in the Industrialisation Agenda for Tanzania under the Agricultural Sector Development Programme (ASDP-II)” which taps the fifth phase government efforts under the leadership of President John Magufuli.
“The theme captures very well the 5th phase government agenda for industrialisation in which agriculture is the driver and source of raw materials and the workforce, especially for low skilled labour,” he said.
Prof Nyange said the AAPC was Tanzania’s leading agricultural high level policy dialogue and would be attended by key stakeholders in the agricultural sector in Tanzania, East Africa and beyond.
The 5th AAPC will also provide invaluable setting for the agricultural sector lead ministries (ASLMs), businesses, researchers and development partners to tackle value chain specific policies to deepen the impact on food security, nutrition and job creation in Tanzania.
Prof Nyange noted that there would be over eight presentations during the conference to address staple industries value chains, traditional export value chains, non-traditional value chains, livestock and fisheries value chains, import substitution value chains, farm inputs value chains and farm services value chains.
Earlier, acting assistant director in the Prime Minister’s Office (Government Coordination) Joseph Kiraiya said the government had successfully implemented the ASDP-I and had become selffood sufficient compared to neighbouring countries.
“Malnutrition among children has dropped drastically from 42 to 34 per cent,” Mr Kiraiya said. PAG is an informal and voluntary group with members working on agricultural policy projects and initiatives, academia and local and international policy think tanks and was stablished in 2013.
Development partners, who joined forces in organising the conference, are the Agricultural Working Group, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Other members and collaborators of the PAG include Agricultural Markets and Development Trust (AMDT), Agricultural Non-State Actors Forum (ANSAF), Agricultural Sector Policy and Institutional Reforms Strengthening (Aspires), Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Dalberg, Eastern Africa Grain Council (EAGC), Enabling Growth through Investment and Enterprise Programme (Engine), Financial Sector Deepening Trust (FSDT), International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Monitoring and Analysing Food and Agriculture Policies (FAO-MAFAP), Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System (ReSAKSS), Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT), Tanzania Horticulture Association (TAHA) and Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF).
Source: IPP Media