JKT quest for agricultural revolution gets boost

IN what appears to be yet another boost in the agriculture sector, the government has handed over equipment to the National Service (JKT) amounting to almost 4bn/- in efforts to complement the army’s quest for agricultural revolution.

The move, according to the Minister for Defence and National Service, Innocent Bashungwa aims at increasing productivity to the army and enable it to depend on itself in feeding the Tanzanian youth attending military training by 2025, with the excess food adding up to the country’s food security.

The equipment that were procured from Italy include among others 25 tractors with the capacity to cultivate at least 500 hectares of land per day.

At a colourful event that was also attended by the outgoing Minister for Defence and National Service who is now the Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Dr Stergomena Tax, when handing over the equipment to the Chief of National Service (CNS), Major General Rajabu Mabele, Mr Bashungwa expressed the government’s commitment in empowering JKT so that it can fully depend on itself in feeding the army and maintain the country’s food security.

The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Faraji Mnyepe said the 3.98bn/- that was spent in procuring the equipment was part of the development budget for the 2021/22 financial year.

According to Dr Mnyepe, in 2022/23 financial year, the government allocated 3bn/- for JKT to implement its various strategic projects, adding that during the first quarter, already the government had disbursed 1bn/- for the purpose.

At the event, Dr Tax thanked all officials in the army for according her the best collaboration when she was serving at the minister for Defence and National service, asking them to continue with the same in her new docket which she insisted was closely related to the former.

She advised the newly appointed minister in the ministry to continue looking for funding in the robust irrigation project currently being undertaken by JKT in its Chita camp in Morogoro region which needs 10bn/-.

Last month during the questions and answers session, the government said it was planning to pump in 11.6bn/- to the ongoing robust irrigation project covering 12,000 hectares at the National Service (JKT)’s 837 Chita JKT camp located in Morogoro region.

The commitment was issued by Deputy Minister of State, in the Vice President’s Office (Union and Environment), Khamis Hamza Khamis when responding to a question asked by Special Seats legislator, Felista Njau (CCM), who had wanted to know the strategy behind empowering financially the National Service to efficiently implement its strategic agricultural projects at Chita Camp.

At Chita camp, the National Service is undertaking a mega irrigation project covering 12,000 acres of rice farming and modern fishing, a project which kicked off in July 2020.

The project also involves construction of a major warehouse for storing rice and construction of 27 tanks for aquaculture.

Strategic agriculture within the National Service is aimed at ensuring that the army is fully feeding itself by 2025, with an excess food helping to feed the entire nation, according to the JKT’s head of Administration, Brigadier General, Hassan Mabena.