Shinyanga. The CCM presidential candidate, President Samia Suluhu Hassan, has unveiled a comprehensive plan to expand irrigation farming across Tanzania, aiming to boost agricultural growth to 10 percent annually by 2030.
She made the revelation on Saturday, October 11, 2025, when addressing campaign rallies in Maswa and Maganzo, Kishapu District, Shinyanga Region.
President Hassan said the construction of 738 irrigation schemes will form the backbone of her administration’s agricultural transformation agenda.
“Irrigation farming is our priority. We are going to build 738 irrigation schemes across the country by the end of this year. My target is that by 2030, the agriculture sector will grow by 10 percent annually,” said President Hassan.
She noted that the sector currently grows at around four percent per year but explained that the government’s long-term strategy aims to raise that growth rate significantly through irrigation, mechanisation, and expanded markets.
“When I talk about agriculture, I mean crops, livestock, and fisheries. They are all part of the same value chain that feeds our economy and our people,” she added.
The CCM hopeful said her administration has already made strides in agriculture through fertiliser and input subsidies, rehabilitating livestock dips, improving markets, and building infrastructure to support farmers and pastoralists.
She emphasised that irrigation development is crucial for ensuring food security, increasing farmers’ incomes, and protecting them from climate change.
President Hassan also pledged continued investment in agro-processing industries to provide markets and jobs for youth, particularly graduates from technical colleges.
“We are strengthening trade and industry so that our young people have jobs. Our industries will process crops, livestock, and fisheries products, all coming from irrigation-supported production,” she said.
Addressing thousands of supporters at the Kambarage Grounds in Shinyanga, she urged citizens to vote for CCM, assuring that her government would deliver even more progress than in the past four years.
“Development is a journey that begins step by step. In the past five years, we made progress in all sectors. I assure you that we are going to do even greater things in the next phase,” she said, stressing that uplifting every Tanzanian and to ensure dignity and respect was the core agenda of her administration.
In her Maganzo address, she reiterated that her administration will continue supporting small-scale miners, promising to resolve long-standing disputes between them, large mining companies, and surrounding communities.
She also announced plans to develop key infrastructure, including the 54-kilometre Kolandoto–Mwangongo road, to improve transportation and market access for farmers.
On health, she pledged to enhance specialised medical services so residents would no longer need to travel long distances for advanced care.
“We want Shinyanga to have specialised health services available within the region so people no longer have to travel far to seek medical attention,” she said.
President Hassan noted that 40 percent of the country’s mining revenue comes from small-scale miners, highlighting their crucial contribution to the economy and promising continued support.
“We have issued more than 1,700 new licences to small-scale miners in the past five years, up from 332 before. We have already started addressing the conflicts between big and small miners, and if you give us another term, we will end those conflicts completely,” she assured.
Meanwhile, the Tanzania Food Vendors Association Chairperson, Ms Havijawa Omary, praised President Hassan for promoting clean energy use among small business operators, which has improved health and livelihoods.
“Clean energy has saved our lives and reduced cases of tuberculosis among us. We thank President Hassan for her support,” said Ms Omary.
As the campaigns continue, CCM’s agricultural agenda, particularly its focus on irrigation farming, stands out as a key pillar in its vision for a more resilient, productive, and inclusive economy.
