SAGCOT being broadened into a countrywide outfit

DAILY NEWS Reporter in Dodoma

THE government is rolling out the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) initiative countrywide towards ensuring that agriculture plays a pivotal role in in dustrializing the country, a senior government official has said.

SAGCOT is an umbrella outfit for the government, the private sector and international donors for propelling agricultural growth. The government has lately become convinced, however, that, the initiative has what it takes to pluck the sector from its doldrums and must be rolled out across the whole country.

“Basically, much of what is contained in the Agricultural Sector Development Programme 2 (ASDP 2) has been adopted from SAGCOT. We have realized that this is the best way to develop agriculture which is directly linked to industrialization,” said the director for training in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Development, Mr Yongolo Said.

Mr Said, who represented the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, was speaking during a networking dinner that brought together senior government officials from all the ministries, departments and agencies that work closely with the SAGCOT Centre here on Friday.

He said implementation of ASDP 2 is scheduled to start during the current fi nancial year (2017/18) and that funds towards that goal had already been budgeted for in the ministries covering agriculture, livestock, fisheries development; industry, trade and marketing.

Involved, too, is the Ministry of State in the President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government Authorities). Speaking during the event, the SAGCOT Centre chief executive officer, Mr Geoffrey Kirenga, said during the past seven years of implementing the first phase of ASDP – from which the SAGCOT initiative was born -- Tanzania had managed to remain a relatively hunger-free nation.

“Much as there have been some challenges, this is quite unusual to most African countries so there have been some achievements to be proud of,” he said.

SAGCOT seeks to mobilise a total of $3.5 billion of investments in agriculture by 2030, he said, noting that so far, at least $566 million had been invested into various aspects within the wider initiative.

“The investment, sourced from both the public and private sectors, has helped 16,384 farmers to turn to commercial farming. At least 38,477 hectares of land has been cultivated, yielding $50 million in annual farming revenue,” he said, noting that more still needs to be done.

SAGCOT was initiated at the World Economic Forum for Africa summit in 2010 with the support of founding partners, including farmers, agri-business, the government of Tanzania and companies from across the private sector.

Its objective is to foster inclusive, commercially successful agribusinesses that will benefit the region’s small-scale farmers, and in so doing, improve food security, reduce rural poverty and ensure environmental sustainability.