Government moves to reform extension services

MOSHI: THE government is continuing with its plan to establish the agricultural related Extension Services Agency with the intention of providing appropriate agricultural education to farmers, a move which will increase foods production the country.

This was revealed recently by the Director of Crop Development in the Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Yasinta Nzogela, during the distribution of 100,000 subsidised quality avocado seedlings worth 400m/- in Kindi Village, Moshi District, Kilimanjaro Region.

“The Ministry is in the final stages of making improvements that will enable the establishment of an extension agency, that will act as a bridge between agricultural research and practical farming with the intention of improving the country’s agricultural produce,” she said.

Dr Nzogela said the establishment of the agency will bring about a major revolution in the provision of extension services, explaining that currently extension officers are under the local governments, a situation that contributes to the slowing down of agricultural extension services in one way or another.

“On its part, the extension agency will be a state institution that will create a unique, highly commercialised model in the agricultural sector to ensure sustainability, technological advancement and increased food production,” she added.

She further said the newly established agency will be responsible for ensuring farmers receive proper agricultural education and support.

“To achieve this goal, extension officers will be equipped with working tools, including motorcycles, to enable them to reach farmers easily and provide professional agricultural advice,” she added. Dr Nzogela urged farmers who received avocado seedlings to plant and care for them properly to ensure good yields, noting that avocado farming offers an additional income opportunity that can improve livelihoods for farmers and their families.

Cereals and Other Produce Regulatory Authority (COPRA) Director General, Irene Mlola, said the government is continuing with agricultural reforms by shifting from productionfocused policies to farmercentric, technology-driven and sustainable approaches aimed at enhancing the profitability and resilience of the sector.

In Moshi District, the seedlings were distributed across its two constituencies, Moshi Rural and Vunjo.

The Moshi Rural Constituency Member of Parliament (MP), Morris Makoi, urged citizens to support government efforts by engaging in avocado cultivation, saying it would boost their incomes and strengthen the national economy.

The Vunjo MP, Enock Koola, thanked the Ministry of Agriculture through COPRA for providing subsidised avocado seedlings, noting that demand remained high and calling on the relevant authorities to increase supply so that more farmers can benefit from the initiative.