NJOMBE Regional Commissioner (RC), Mr Anthony Mtaka, has said that President Samia Suluhu Hassan has made significant strides in the agriculture sector during her four years in office, encouraging more people to engage in agriculture and attracting investors to the sector.
Building on these achievements, Mr Mtaka highlighted that during the period, the agriculture sector has seen remarkable progress, with financial institutions and banks providing low-interest loans that have significantly boosted the sector and empowered farmers.
“President Samia has made significant reforms in the agriculture sector and its value chain, where she directed banking institutions to provide agricultural loans at single-digit interest rates (nine per cent).
“Thanks to these reforms, for the first time, we are seeing farmers being listened to, and financial institutions are offering loans with favourable interest rates and terms,” he said.
Mr Mtaka pointed out that in the past, the government encouraged farmers to assess their land through various methods, including traditional ones, so they could approach banks and financial institutions for loans.
However, this initiative did not yield much success. Now, under the current environment, various financial institutions and banks, such as the Tanzania Investment Bank (TIB), are reaching out to farmers and offering loans at low-interest rates to support their agricultural development.
He noted that farmers, fishers, and livestock keepers, including dairy farmers, have benefited from low-interest loans.
He gave the example of President Samia’s recent state visit to Mwanza, where she launched fish farming cages for farmers who had received these affordable loans.
Giving an example from his own region of Njombe, Mr Mtaka, who is also a member of the Board of the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA), stated that financial institutions like CRDB and NMB have been lending to farmers growing short-term crops such as potatoes, and are now looking into the possibility of lending to those growing long-term crops like avocados.
“These are significant reforms by President Samia in the agriculture sector over her four years in office,” Mr Mtaka remarked.
Through agriculture, Mr Mtaka said President Samia has shown her vision of making Tanzania a major food hub in Africa.
“This has been possible through the investments and support that President Samia has provided to NFRA, where we have been able to store enough food reserves for national security and export thousands of tons of surplus produce to countries in need, earning foreign currency for the nation,” he said.
Mr Mtaka added that the successes of NFRA stem from its ability to purchase 400,000 tons of maize, now reaching up to one million tons from farmers.
Banks are lending to NFRA to help it buy large quantities of food, enabling farmers to see the benefits and profits from their farming. These reforms have turned crops like maize into cash crops, as opposed to their previous role as staple foods.
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“Ten years ago, when we were in school, we learned that these crops were food crops. But after several reforms, these crops have now become commercially viable for farmers,” Mr Mtaka explained.
He further pointed out that the Samia government has made great efforts to support farmers of various crops, such as rice and sweet potatoes, by providing subsidies for fertilisers and inputs and offering demonstration farms.
“By doing this, the government is helping improve the economic status of farmers because they can access essential inputs like fertiliser at affordable prices,” he said.
Mr Mtaka noted that the government has made substantial investments in the agriculture sector, with the Minister of Agriculture, Hussen Bashe, recently explaining in Parliament how the government is reaching out to small-scale farmers by digging wells and setting up irrigation infrastructure to boost the sector.
“We are witnessing significant agricultural investments continuing in the country,” Mr Mtaka said.
He also highlighted various projects, including ‘Building a Better Tomorrow’ initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture, which encourages farmers to work hard in food production.
“This motivates Tanzanians to engage in agricultural activities and attracts investment in various crops, such as avocados, to access international markets.
“In Njombe, we have seen significant changes in avocado farming, thanks to the investments made by President Samia, and we are very proud of the progress made by our farmers.
“These efforts are also helping ensure the country has enough food and allows for the export of surplus, which boosts the livelihoods of farmers and the country’s economy,” he concluded.
