Maize programme set to benefit over 10 villages in Moro

By SUNDAY NEWS Reporter

More than 1,000 households in 10 villages from six districts in Morogoro region are poised to benefit from a three-year programme that aims at improving maize production in the region.

The programme was launched on Thursday at MtegowaSimba village in Mikese ward by China Agricultural University (CAU) in collaboration with Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) and Morogoro regional government.
CAU President, Professor Sun Qixin, said the programme focuses on reducing poverty through enhanced agricultural production and underlying concept of increasing the local peasants’ productivity by using improved seeds, available local labour and farmland in light of the local circumstances in the country. He further said that the programme will increase yields of the staple food and income of the peasants by sharing China’s “two experiences” in agricultural development.
“The two experiences here refer to the Chinese experience of government supporting agricultural development and the Chinese experience of labourintensive agricultural technology,” he noted.
The councils that will benefit from the programme include Gairo, Kilombero, Ulanga, Malinyi, Mvomero and Kilosa. Earlier, CAU empowered peasants in the two villages of MtegowaSimba in Morogoro district and Peapea in Kilosa district. China ambassador to Tanzania, Ms Wang Ke, pledged that her country will continue to support the agriculture sector to enhance the country’s economy towards an industrialised nation. She said they expect the produce from Tanzania will be of high quality and can be exported to other countries, especially in China.
Regional Administrative Secretary (RAS) for Morogoro, Clifford Tandari, said for the 2017/18 agriculture season, the region has a target to cultivate 867,666.53 hectares and harvest 2,878,865.62 tonnes of food products. He said for business crops, the region aimed at cultivating 168,294.04 hectares and to harvest 2,910,377 tonnes. According to Mr Tandari, food situation in the region was satisfactory to all nine councils in the region.
The project partners’ organisation in the country includes the Planning Commission of the President’s Office, ministries of Agriculture and that of Science and Technology, the Regional Administration and Local government.