Irrigation investment key to food security

TABORA: INVESTMENT in irrigation projects is critical to strengthening the nation’s food security and increasing agricultural production, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Industries, Trade, Agriculture and Livestock has said.

The committee said food security was the foundation of national security, urging citizens to support efforts to ensure irrigation infrastructure was properly maintained and remained productive.

Speaking during a continued inspection of irrigation projects implemented by the National Irrigation Commission (NIRC), the committee’s chairperson, Njombe Urban MP Deodatus Mwanyika, said Tanzania’s food security had helped make the country a reliable supplier of food to some countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

“Tanzania is safe and its foundation is food security,” Mr Mwanyika said. He said the country had achieved high food production for both domestic consumption and export, adding that continued investment in irrigation would strengthen its capacity to produce enough food.

Mr Mwanyika said irrigation projects should be maintained using domestic resources, including taxes and user charges, to ensure they remained sustainable and beneficial to wananchi.

“It is not easy to say this project is ours and then leave its maintenance to someone else,” he said.

He urged citizens to recognize that governmentfunded irrigation projects belonged to them as well and should participate in their maintenance, including paying irrigation service charges as required by law.

Mr Mwanyika said the irrigation projects were operating efficiently and providing value for money, adding that they directly affected people’s livelihoods and offered significant economic opportunities.

ALSO READ: Tanzania invests 33.9bn/- to bolster irrigation of 3,500 hectares of farms in Mpanda

For his part, Agriculture Minister, Mr Daniel Chongolo thanked the committee for the inspection visit, saying ministry and commission officials were ready to receive guidance and recommendations to improve implementation of the projects.

Mr Chongolo said major investment in irrigation was aimed at promoting productive agriculture, improving farmers’ livelihoods and increasing food production to meet domestic needs and those of neighbouring countries.

NIRC Director General, Mr Raymond Mndolwa said the commission would continue working with wananchi in implementing its projects and providing education to minimise challenges.

He said the commission worked with regional and district authorities in assessing projects from their early stages, helping to reduce conflicts and improve implementation.

“The committee’s visit is important as it gave the commission an opportunity to receive direct advice on projects at different stages of implementation and improve their performance and productivity,” he said.