Experts urged to boost cooperatives, agriculture

BUKOBA: THE Government has urged business and financial experts across the country to assist Cooperatives to improve the agricultural sector.

Minister for Livestock Development and Fisheries, Dr Bashiru Ally said on Tuesday while launching the Kagera Branch of the Cooperative Bank Tanzania held in Bukoba Municipality that Cooperative Unions across the country were not functioning according to the required standards and thus asked experts to step in for support.

“Most of the Cooperative Unions across the country were not functioning according to the required standards. Business and financial experts across the country should step in to assist Cooperatives to improve the agricultural sector.” he said.

Dr Ally cautioned Cooperative Union leaders to avoid past mistakes by engaging in non-profitable business not relating to the agriculture and livestock sectors.

Elaborating, he said government officials and sector experts are now inviting local and foreign capital to unlock a sector currently operating far below its potential.

“Large scale investment is needed to provide the technical skills and capital required to run modern ranches, feedlots, abattoirs and tanneries.The push for investment is anchored in the Tanzania Development Vision 2050, which targets a one-trillion-dollar economy,” Dr Ally said.

He added: “The Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries is expected to contribute 100 billion Us dollars toward that goal. Currently, while the sector accounts for 30 per cent of domestic agricultural production, it contributes only 7.6 per cent to the national GDP. To bridge that gap, the government is moving away from ‘prestige’ herding toward ‘commercial’ husbandry,” Minister Ally said.

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With its lush pastures, fertile soil and a strategic gateway to four East African nations, the Kagera Region is positioning itself as Tanzania’s next frontier for largescale dairy and livestock investment. Kagera has already laid the groundwork for industrial- scale operations.

The region has set aside 66,215.7 hectares specifically for dairy development under the Mwisa 11 Project, Moreover, the National Ranching Company (NARCO) manages five massive ranches in the region. Missenyi: 60,851 hectares, Kagoma: 50,690 hectares, Kitengule: 41,700 hectares, Mabale and Kikulula: Over 26,000 hectares combined.

Currently, these ranches host approximately 49,21 cows, but the productivity remains modest. Kagera’s 20,438 dairy cows produce roughly 20 million litres of milk annually- averaging just 5 litres per cow per day.

“Investors focusing on improved genetic breeds and modern feed production could see these yields double or triple,” he said.

In 2024, Tanzania exported 14,000 metric tonnes of meat against a target of 50,000 tonnes. Meat consumption in Tanzania is expected to triple by 2030, driven by rapid urbanisation and rising middleclass incomes across the continent.

“To support this ‘livestock revolution’ the government is partnering with the Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank (TADB) and Heifer International. Recent milestones include the launch of milk collection centers in Maruku (Bukoba), Nshamba (Muleba) and Kihanga (Karagwe).

Furthermore, a “Kopa Ng’ombe Lipa Ng’ombe (Borrow a cow, pay a cow) programme, led by Kahama Fresh Company, has already distributed over 600 improved heifers to local households, creating a steady ‘out-grower’ supply chain for potential milk processing factories.