Samia: No room for hunger

TANGA: PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan has reaffirmed Tanzania’s ongoing efforts to strengthen food sufficiency and contribute to food security in neighbouring countries.

The Head of State made the remarks yesterday while addressing the public at Korogwe Teachers Training College, following the laying of the foundation stone for the Mkomazi Irrigation Dam in the Tanga Region.

“The government is committed to uplifting farmers and increasing agricultural productivity. Our focus is on producing more, harvesting efficiently and selling the surplus,” Dr Samia said.

Once completed, the Mkomazi Dam will have a storage capacity of 17 billion litres of water.

There are also plans to expand the dam’s capacity by increasing its depth to 12 metres, which will raise the storage potential to nearly 25 billion litres.

President Samia noted in the wellattended public meeting that the primary purpose of constructing both the Mkomazi Dam in Tanga and the Kidunda Dam in Morogoro is to harness water for agricultural use and other purposes.

“Tanzania has achieved a food self-sufficiency rate of 128 per cent, positioning the country as a key player in regional food production,” Dr Samia said.

She noted that while neighbouring countries still face food security challenges, the dams will not only ensure food security within Tanzania but also open up a larger market for agricultural products, which will be supplied to neighbouring nations.

“The Mkomazi and Kidunda dams are projects originally envisioned by the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere. Today, they are being realised in the sixth phase of government. These dams will expand usage of arable land and double agricultural production within a year, making Tanzania a leading agricultural hub,” President Samia remarked.

She recalled Mwalimu Nyerere’s belief that agriculture is the backbone of the country, adding, “We want to reaffirm this through the development of agriculture in Tanzania.

President Samia urged the public to cooperate with the contractors working on these projects to ensure they proceed according to plan, stressing that the completion of the Mkomazi Dam will benefit not only farmers but the entire nation.

“Once the dam is completed, it will provide an abundant water supply, benefiting many people. t’s not just the farmers who will gain, but the whole nation will benefit,” she said.

She also stressed the importance of community cooperation, urging locals not to vandalise or steal materials used in the construction and encouraging workers to put forth their best efforts to ensure timely completion of the project.

President Samia assured residents who had to give up land for the dam’s construction that they would benefit from the project as well.

ALSO READ: Kagera turns to bananas to fight malnutrition, hidden hunger

“The irrigation project extends beyond Mkomazi, reaching as far as Chekelei, bringing the total investment in the area to over 90bn/-,” she said.

Dr Samia further pledged that the government will continue prioritising social services, including water, electricity, healthcare, education and agriculture, to improve the lives of Tanzanians.

In another development, she also encouraged all eligible voters to register or update their voter information to ensure they can effectively participate in the upcoming General Election scheduled for October this year.

Earlier, the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Hussein Bashe, detailed the project’s status, which is in its first phase.

Once completed, he said, it will serve 29 villages and seven wards. He also said that the project involves two major contracts: one for the Mkomazi project valued at 48bn/- and the other for the Chekelei worth 31bn/-.

Combined with other associated projects, the total investment amounts to 97bn/-. “This will benefit the Korogwe population, estimated at nearly 300,000 people.

Over 20,000 farmers will directly benefit from this project, which represents nearly 10 per cent of Korogwe’s total population,” he said.

He also noted that Mkomazi Dam is among 100 major dams being developed by the government.

The first phase includes 17 dams, with Mkomazi featuring a 300-metre-long embankment. Over 56 kilometres of rural roads will be constructed to support the project.

Mr Bashe said that the project would be fully completed over four years, including the dam and two associated schemes.

Meanwhile, President Dr Samia directed the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism to review compensation regulations to ensure that citizens affected by wildlife entering their farmlands are adequately compensated.

President Samia made this statement while addressing the public in Lushoto District after laying the foundation stone for the new Bumbuli District Council building, which cost 5.5bn/-.