Pinda urges increased productivity in dairy sector
DODOMA: CHAIRMAN of the Presidential Food and Agriculture Advisory Council, Former Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda, has called on livestock keepers to align their herds with available pasture capacity to ensure productive farming, including improved milk yields and other livestock products.
Speaking during the opening the Central Zone Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Stakeholders’ Meeting in Dodoma on Wednesday, Mr Pinda, emphasised the need for responsible livestock keeping that considers grazing land size and availability.
“Tanzania has 44 million hectares of arable land, but only 15 per cent is cultivated. Keep livestock according to the available grazing area to obtain quality and well-managed cattle. The agriculture, livestock and fisheries sectors provide employment to between 65 and 70 per cent of our population,” he noted.
Council Secretary, Dr Florence Turuka, said during African leaders’ summits, governments resolved to harness the continent’s agricultural potential to help feed the world’s projected nine billion people by 2050, of which Africa will account for around two billion.
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Dodoma Regional Commissioner, Rosemary Senyamule, commended President Samia Suluhu Hassan, through the Ministry of Agriculture, for investing in agricultural infrastructure and making the region a key food production area.
She cited the government’s programme of drilling boreholes in every district to support irrigation farming.
Presenting the 2024 Regional Economic Report, Dodoma’s Assistant Regional Administrative Secretary for Economy and Production, Ms Aziza Mumba, said the crops, livestock, fisheries and forestry sectors contribute about 39 per cent of the region’s GDP, boosting market demand and creating the need to increase production.
The Presidential Food and Agriculture Advisory Council was established on March 14, 2023, by President Samia to strengthen food security and enhance agricultural productivity.
The council advises on strategies for adding value to crops, promoting innovation in the agriculture sector, and improving access to finance for farmers and investors.
