Tanzania set to become Africa’s food basket

KAMPALA: PRIME Minister Kassim Majaliwa on Saturday informed African Heads of State and Government that Tanzania will continue to conduct research and engage the private sector and public institutions involved in agriculture to ensure the country becomes a key player in food production across the continent.

The Premier was addressing Heads of State and Government during the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) summit where he is represented President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

The Premier said that African leaders have expressed great optimism regarding Tanzania’s strategies to produce high-quality food crops, particularly rice and maize.

“These are major successes in the country’s agricultural sector,” he said.

Mr Majaliwa explained that Tanzania has received positive remarks from several African leaders, including Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who praised the country for producing high-quality food crops, especially rice and maize.

“These are significant achievements in the country’s agricultural sector,” said the Premier. Mr Majaliwa insisted that Tanzania has a strategy in place to ensure it continues to produce sufficient food for domestic consumption and exports. “Currently, our agriculture is not just for subsistence but is commercial,” he said.

Earlier, Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni used the opportunity to urge African Heads of State and Government to focus on adding value to agricultural products before exporting them in order to increase productivity and create more jobs, especially for young people.

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He cited the example of coffee, where in Uganda, one kilogram of raw coffee is sold for 2 US dollars (about 5500/- ), but once processed, it can be sold for 40 US dollars (about 110,000/-).

“We are losing jobs and money by selling raw agricultural products. We must add value to our crops and it is disappointing to see African countries still selling raw materials. We must change,” he said.

On his part, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Moussa Faki Mahamat, stressed the importance of involving youth in agriculture and developing robust strategies to enable African nations to produce sufficient food.

“Why does Africa still have hunger when we have enough land? We must involve the youth in agriculture because food security and nutrition have not improved as many of us still face challenges in accessing food and proper nutrition. We must change,” he said.

Meanwhile, Norway’s Minister for Development Cooperation and representative of the development partners, Ms Bjorg Sandkjaer, acknowledged the progress made, highlighting the ongoing challenges of reaching the target populations.

She assured the leaders that they would continue collaborating to ensure the Kampala Declaration leads to resilience in food security and nutrition across Africa.

In the preliminary meeting, Agriculture Ministers adopted the next phase of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), focusing on inclusive food production systems that engage other sectors contributing to food production, including infrastructure, education and health.

Other Tanzanian leaders who attended the summit include Former President Jakaya Kikwete, Minister for Agriculture Hussein Bashe, Minister for Water Jumaa Aweso, Zanzibar Minister for Agriculture, Irrigation, Natural Resources and Livestock, Shamata Shaame Khamis, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Dennis Londo and Deputy Minister for Livestock and Fisheries Alexander Mnyeti.

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