Tanzania is committed to agriculture transformation agenda to improve the food system so as to ensure national food security and improve social-economic security.
Vice-President Dr Philip Mpango, virtually addressing the just ended African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) 2021 Summit in Nairobi, said Tanzania had put in place policies and strategies for continued agriculture growth. The Vice President spoke on behalf of President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
According to Dr Mpango, financing is prominent among Tanzania and Africa’s most significant food systems challenges. He proposed that the issue need considerable attention at the upcoming UN food systems summit in New York, September 23, 2021. Other issues Tanzania would like addressed at the UN summit include ensuring more access to improved seeds, pest control, and increasing appropriate technology in agriculture and livestock development.
Dr Mpango joined 5 African presidents at AGRF Summit to review and fast-track Africa’s food system transformation strategies. The five were: host Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Dr Lazarus Chakwera (Malawi), Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), and Hage Geingob of Namibia.
Others who attended include: IFAD President Gilbert F. Houngbo, Josefa Sacko, the Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture at the Africa Union Commission, Salamatu Garba, the Senior Gender Specialist at UNDP-GEF Project, and Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group.
Mr Kenyatta described the AGRF Summit as a platform for consolidating Africa’s voice in readiness for the UN Food Systems Summit (UN FSS) in New York starting September 23. The UN FSS will bring together leaders from around the world to review the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with notable attention on the eradication of hunger and poverty.
“The biggest outcomes that some of us are looking for at the AGRF Summit is that we will work together as Africans and come up with a common position to table UN Food Systems Summit,” Kenyatta said.
AGRA Tanzania Country Manager Vianey Rweyendela, commended Vice President Dr Mpango’s participation at the AGRF summit, saying he represented Tanzania well. “Tanzania is on the right direction in the road to food systems strengthening, which includes its consistent commitment to securing international markets for food commodities and is sending out clear messaging,” he noted.
In the meantime, Professor Siza Tumbo, Deputy Permanent Secretary-Ministry of Agriculture, has said the government is keen to attract multiple investments and partnerships in market development, productivity enhancement and financing, to lift the agricultural sector into a largely industrialised niche.
He spoke on Tanzania government investment opportunities at the DealRoom in 2021 AGRF Summit.
Prof Tumbo assured the world that Tanzania had marked stability running from independence up to now and a favourable business climate for upscaling the agriculture sector take-off.
The AGRF summit organised by Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), took place in Nairobi, but participants from across the world, including Tanzania, attended virtually due to Covid 19 restrictions.
According to Prof Tumbo, the smallholder farmers have become more informed and able to increase productivity, thus providing raw materials to agro-industries ready to open up or scale up operations in the country. The government is actively in through public-private partnership promoting agro- industrialisation to enhance GDP and create employment opportunities for a rapidly growing population.
East Africa second-largest economy is already the region’s market leader in the grains trade, with maize and rice leading the pack, with a massive potential for a considerable increase due to favourable geographical base, including the availability of ground and underground water for irrigation across the vast country.
Tanzania agricultural investment blueprints include Agriculture Sector Development Program Phase 2(ASDP II), Tanzania Livestock Master Plan and Agro industries development flagship (TAIDF), and calls for broad-based investments in the all-important sector.
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