Agriculture to contribute 12 per cent of Chato’s annual budget

CHATO District Council in Geita region has set strategies to raise its production of food and cash crops to earn about 542m/- annually from the agricultural sector, equivalent to 12.2 per cent of the council’s annual budget.

District Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Officer, Mr Gerald Mgoba, made the statement when briefing about the project recently during a launch of the Chato Agricultural and Economic Revolution Plan.

Mr Mgoba said through the programme, the district set up the goal to ensure its people are self-sufficient in food, as well as sustaining themselves economically by cultivating 83,075 hectares of both food and commercial crops.

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He said among them, 66,178 hectares are for food crops, with the expectation is to produce 197,854 tonnes of food crops while 16,897 hectares are for commercial crops with expectations of producing 17,301 tonnes.

He further added that in the 2022/23 agricultural season, the district aimed to cultivate 55,550 hectares and produce 159,450 tonnes of food crops, while for commercial crops the target was 15,101 hectares to produce 19,508 tonnes.

He said the council has already formulated strategies to start contract farming for rice and tobacco crops to encourage irrigation farming for strengthening the sector.

Agriculture Deputy Minister, Mr Anthony Mavunde, congratulated the district for the strategies and urged them to make effective implementation of the plans.

Chato District Commissioner, Mr Deusdedith Katwale said the goal was to realise the agriculture reforms to boost the district’s economy.

Chato Member of Parliament, Dr Medard Kalemani, urged the entrepreneurs especially youths and women to support the agricultural and economic reform programmes by taking advantage of the interest-free loans from the council.

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