Norway pledges $9 million to mitigate effects of Russia-Ukraine war
The Yara Tanzania Managing Director Winstone Odhiambo (left) explaining fertilizer manufacturing processes at the company’s terminal in Kurasini yesterday to the Norwegian Minister for International Development Mrs. Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, Deputy Minister for Agriculture Daivid Silinde (second left) and the President and Chief Executive Officer, Yara International Svein Tore Holsether (right), when they toured the facility as part of the ongoing AGRF meeting in Dar es Salaam.
Dar es Salaam. The Norwegian government has pledged $9 million (nearly Sh22.5 billion) in financing to Tanzania aimed at mitigating the indirect consequences of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which have reverberated through global supply chains, particularly impacting food security.
This aid will be instrumental in addressing immediate concerns related to food security and supply chain disruptions.
“Food prices, especially in this part of the world, rose due to the Russian-Ukraine war, and that is why Norway pledged the money to mitigate these indirect effects of the war for Tanzania,” she said.
These funds will be directed to activities targeting vulnerable communities through projects in the Tanzania Social Action Fund (Tasaf) and United Nations social projects.
Ms Tvinnereim is in Tanzania to attend Africa’s Food Systems Forum 2023 Summit, which, among other things, brings together the private and public sectors for active engagements, dialogues, and re-energised commitment in the food systems.
Food insecurity risks globally fueled by climate shocks and the Covid-19 pandemic have been growing because of the ripple effects of the war in Ukraine, driving rising prices of food, fuel, and fertiliser. The increased price of fertiliser and fuel makes agricultural activity costlier.
Lower yields in the future could push domestic prices even higher. Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Mr David Silinde, said the government has been making efforts to reduce production costs in agriculture. Aside from fertiliser subsidies, the government also plans to establish and increase fertiliser production within the country.
“The long-term plan is to establish fertiliser factories and increase local production, but in the short term, the government is committed to reducing the challenges of fertiliser distribution delays for farmers,” he said.
According to the Agriculture Ministry’s budget, by April 2023, the government would have spent over Sh195.6 billion on subsidised fertilisers.
The minister for Agriculture, Hussein Bashe, said that amount was used to procure 342.73 million tonnes of fertiliser, which has benefited 782,553 farmers across the country.
Chief Executive Officer of Yara International, Mr Svein Tore Holsether, said that as one of the major fertiliser manufacturers and suppliers in Tanzania, it’s their duty to ensure efficient access to fertilisers because it is one of the main ingredients in achieving food security.
“There is no quality agriculture without fertiliser, and that is why we at Yara are committed to working towards sustainable mineral fertiliser production. We also work closely with partners throughout the whole food value chain to develop more climate-friendly crop nutrition solutions,” he said.
