Minister directs leaders to spearhead treeplanting campaign

DODOMA: DEPUTY Minister in the VicePresident’s Office (Union and Environment) Dr Festo Dugange has directed government executives to mobilise support for the tree-planting campaign as the government strives to ensure the country is covered by more than 61 billion trees over the next decade.

Dr Dugange issued the directive on Tuesday on the sidelines of a special event to plant over 600 trees at the Mtumba Government City Garden as part of celebration of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s birthday.

Deputy Minister Dugange noted that his office will continue to collaborate with TFS and other like-minded institutions from the public and private sectors to improve the country’s environmental status.

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“Trees offer invaluable benefits to human life and the environment. They are sources of water, rainfall, a healthy climate, shade and timber, and they help combat the effects of climate change,” the Deputy Minister emphasised.

Briefing the media on milestones within the country’s environmental sector, TFS Assistant Conservation Commissioner for Forest Resources, Dr Zainabu Bungwa revealed that the agency has so far produced over 167 million tree seedlings.

This figure represents an increase of approximately 28.5 per cent over the set annual production goal. She noted that the seedlings include fruit and shade trees, medicinal trees and species for water retention.

In his remarks, TFS Deputy Conservation Commissioner, Senior Emmanuel Kiboko, said the agency has an array of plans to improve the scope of tree seed and seedling production.