Irrigation scheme thrills villagers
NANGANGA villagers in Ruangwa District were at the weekend excited as they celebrated the handover of a 300-hectare irrigation scheme constructed in their area to speed up agricultural development in the southern region of Lindi.
Worth 1,106,619,386.02/- , the project is one of 16 other similar projects being implemented nationwide by the government under the Small Scale Irrigation Development Project (SSIDP III) supported by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Project Manager Paul Mabaya from the National Irrigation Commission (NIRC) said the construction of the scheme was implemented by two companies of Haricom International Ltd and D&L (T) Ltd, both of them from Dar es Salaam.
The project is set to benefit 120 members of the Umoja wa Umwagiliaji wa Nanganga, an irrigators association established mainly to involve smallholder farmers in rice growing.
“We are excited to witness the completion of this project which will definitely be a catalyst for people’s socioeconomic development in Nanganga, neighbouring villages and the nation at large,” Mr Mabaya said.
He thanked all stakeholders involved in the implementation of the ambitious scheme which he said would be a shining example in Lindi Region.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Ruangwa District Executive Director Andrea Chezue said the project would greatly improve agriculture in the area and contribute to food self-sufficiency. Villagers interviewed said the project had come at the right time when Lindi Region was on track to a green revolution.
“This project will make us realise our dreams of food self-sufficiency. It is set to change our lives in the foreseeable future,” said Mr Hassan Masudi, one of the villagers who attended the handover ceremony.
Since 2006, Tanzania aimed at expanding irrigation to one million hectares by the end of this year. Currently, only five per cent - 461,000 hectares - of Tanzania’s cultivated land is irrigated, out of an estimated 29.4 million hectares.
Agricultural experts say investing in irrigation could help Tanzania feed its growing population, and boost economic growth by increasing agricultural exports.
They say irrigation is a promising way of raising agricultural productivity since it can increase crop yield mightily, allowing two crops to be cultivated each year instead of one, and ensuring more consistent yields.
However, irrigation requires considerable initial investment.
New research suggests that private investment in partnership with the public sector can work with researchers, highlighting examples of successful Tanzanian irrigation schemes engaged in formal public-private partnerships.
