Present ASDP II in Parliament for debate, say MPS

Dodoma. Lawmakers have called upon the government to submit the Second Phase of the Agricultural Sector Development Programme (ASDP-II) document to Parliament for debate and endorsement.

The MPs made the statement at a workshop that brought together various stakeholders to discuss contribution of the agricultural sector in motivating the creation of an industrial economy.

The participating organisations included the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (Agra); the Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF); the Financial Sector Deepening Trust (FSDT); the Agriculture Non-State Actors Forum (Ansaf); the Agricultural Council of Tanzania (Act) and Aspires Tanzania. Speaking during the workshop, the MPs said ASDP-II should be debated in Parliament because of its considerable significance to the country.

The Kigoma-Urban MP, Zitto Kabwe (ACT-Wazalendo), questioned whether or not enough research was done when drafting the programme.

“Priority for the central zone and Kigoma, for instance, has been given to livestock and fish; specifically: meat and chickens,” he said.

Noting that Lake Tanganyika – which is the second-deepest in the world after Lake Baikal in Siberia – lacked fish products, Mr Kabwe said priority for business crops has been put on cotton, tobacco, fruits and vegetables, leaving out oil palms.

“ASDP-II is not found in Kigoma, where maize is cultivated. Millet and sorghum are not grown in that region, although little sunflower is cultivated – and major crops are cassava and beans,” he pointed out.

In that regard, the programme – which was officially launched recently by President John Magufuli – should be submitted to the National Assembly for thorough debate and endorsement. Doing that would enable MPs to effectively supervise its implementation.

Mr Kabwe’s views were endorsed by Mlimba constituency lawmaker, Suzan Kiwanga (Chadema), who agreed that ASDP-II should be debated by MPs who could then advise the government on agricultural development.

“The government should abide by lawmakers’ findings because the sector is important to the country and, as such, stakeholders are seriously concerned,” she said.

The Kaliua MP, Ms Magdalena Sakaya (CUF), queried how the programme helps farmers to access markets for agricultural produce, demanding release of the assessment report on implementation of phase-I of the programme.

The Tanga-Urban legislator, Mussa Mbarouk (CUF), and the Manyoni-East lawmaker, Daniel Mtuka (CCM), both said debating the programme is in Tanzania’s best interests.

For her part, the Ileje MP, Janeth Mbene (CCM), said the government should focus on finding solutions to the challenges in crop farming in order to modernize agriculture.

“Smallholder farmers are the major crop producers in Tanzania. Therefore, small-and-medium-size farmers should be empowered first,” she said.

In his response, Agriculture Minister Charles Tizeba said the ministry would respond to the raised points, including allowing parliamentary debate, after being so-directed by the Parliamentary leadership.