Tanzania, Burundi forge stronger grain partnership
BURUNDI: Tanzania and Burundi have agreed to deepen cooperation in the agriculture sector to ensure that citizens of both countries fully benefit.
The agreement emerged during discussions between Tanzania’s Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture responsible for Crop Development and Food Security, Dr Stephen Nindi, and the Permanent Secretary of Burundi’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Emmanuel Niyungeko.
The Tanzanian delegation visited Burundi with the goal of expanding and strengthening regional grain markets. During the meeting, Dr Nindi highlighted Tanzania’s ongoing strategies to increase food production through the Agricultural Master Plan 2050 (AMP 2050) and the 10/30 Agenda.
“We are implementing nationwide soil health testing to identify soil types and determine appropriate inputs for each area,” he said.
He also cited other priority areas, including strengthening irrigation farming—where over 750 projects are currently underway—enhancing the Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticides Authority (TPHPA) to ensure the quality of grain entering and leaving the country, improving the use of agricultural machinery with the purchase of 1,000 heavy-duty tractors and 1,000 hand tractors, and establishing shared agricultural equipment centers in collaboration with cooperative unions.
Accompanying Dr Nindi, Ambassador John Ulanga, Director of the Department of Economic Diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation and Chairperson of the Advisory Board of the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA), emphasized the potential for regional cooperation.
“Tanzania and Burundi have significant opportunities for cooperation in developing grain trade to strengthen food security across the region,” he said.
Ambassador Ulanga further noted the importance of a collaborative framework to address food shortage challenges, taking into account the varying climate patterns and crop production cycles between the two countries.
