Speaking at a dialogue on making markets
inclusive for smallholder farmers in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Deputy
Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Mr William Ole Nasha,
said it was government’s commitment to revitalise agriculture, the
mainstay of the country’s economy.
“Our goal is to make agriculture practices resilient, inclusive and market responsive throughout the country,” he said.
He said smallholder farmers need access
to information on good agricultural practices, good quality seeds,
fertilizer, pesticides and other inputs.
He said access to infrastructure such as
irrigation and storage, transportation, credit and most importantly,
access to markets for selling products were of paramount importance in
transforming agriculture.
“Unless the system provides smallholder
farmers access to these resources on a sustainable basis, the goal for
transforming agriculture in Tanzania will not be fully realised,” he
said.
The dialogue was organised by the Aga
Khan Foundation (AKF) in collaboration with the UK Department for
International Development (DFID).
The event aimed at harnessing the
knowledge and experience of colleagues from the government, development
partners and civil society organizations.
AKF Tanzania Country Director, Mr Abid
Mallick, said in Lindi and Mtwara regions multi-sectoral Coastal Rural
Support Programme has been working in partnership with regional and
district governments since 2009 to improve and increase agriculture
production, facilitate market connections, and support access to
finance.
Mr Mallick said the programme has
benefited more than 100,000 farmers and value chain actors in both
regions through a combination of push and pull approaches
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