Samia issues seven key directives to boost agriculture, livestock and fisheries

Dar es Salaam. President Samia Suluhu Hassan has issued seven directives to the Ministry of Agriculture and that of Livestock and Fisheries, including the formation of the Extension Services Supervision Authority (ESSA).

Other directives issued by President Hassan are the strengthening of cooperatives, increasing protection of agriculture, livestock keeping, and fisheries infrastructures, harmonious living among herders and farmers, and better utilisation of national ranches for the sectors’ development.

She also endorsed a countrywide livestock vaccination and identification campaign to be conducted by the responsible ministry, as well as doing away with bureaucracy in the issuance of meat export permits.

President Hassan issued the directives on Thursday, August 8, 2024, in Dodoma, when concluding farmer's exhibitions to mark the conclusion of Farmers Day 2024.

During a live televised event, President Hassan said the newly formed ESSA would enhance the supervision of extension officers in the country.

She said extension officers are under the President’s Office Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG), noting however that the supervision is done directly by the ministry.

“I think you are supposed to form the Extension Services Supervision Authority to closely supervise extension officers and reduce the burden to the ministry,” she said.

Secondly, the President said she was planning to meet extension officers in groups to share her vision and plans for developing the country’s agriculture and what they are supposed to do.

She said for efficiency to be recorded from ongoing agricultural reforms, strengthening cooperatives was a matter of paramount importance, directing the ministry to keep a close eye on the area.

“I also told you the minister (agriculture). I will look for a time and inform you in advance. I want to meet cooperative officers so that we can talk and understand each other,” she said.

President Hassan directed regional commissioners across the country to promote harmony and cohesion among farmers and herders for efficiency realisation from everybody’s activities, commending groups in Morogoro for giving a nod to the plan.

She directed the Livestock and Fisheries Ministry to turn national ranches into demonstration farms and livestock-fattening facilities to increase efficiency.

“Regarding the livestock vaccination and identification campaign, I support the ministry, as the government will pay 50 percent of the charges. You have impressed me by categorically saying vaccination will be provided for free to chicken keepers,” she said, adding that the decision would be a boost to women across the country.

“However, during my Morogoro visit, one meat exporter complained of bureaucracy in the provision of permits involving the discussion with about six institutions, something that could even destroy the quality of products,” she added.

She said in the 2024/25 fiscal year, the focus of her government was to ensure the sector creates more jobs for the youth and completes the execution of 231 irrigation projects out of the total 780 projects.

The move will increase the size of the country’s available irrigation land by 256,185 hectares to 983,466 hectares, which is equivalent to 81.95 percent of the targeted 1.2 million hectares by 2025, as directed by the CCM election manifesto.

During that period, she said the government plans to enhance fertilisers’ uptake, strengthening research and development and improving the National Food Reserve Agent's (NFRA) capacity to procure and preserve more food crops to enhance the country’s food security through the newly introduced food security bond.

She said in 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture recorded a 4.2 growth, a 26.5 percent contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), creating jobs at 65.6 percent, and enhanced exports by 30 percent, as well as assured food sufficiency by over 100 percent.

During the event, Agriculture Minister Hussein Bashe commended the budget increase from Sh297 billion in the 2021/22 fiscal year to Sh1.248 trillion in the 2024/25 financial year.

He said the sixth phase of government has enhanced the sector’s growth from 2.7 percent to 4.2 percent, increased access to food from 114 percent to 128 percent, and improved exports from an average of $800 million in 2021/22 to about $2.3 billion in 2023/24.

“Our target is to reach $2.6 billion in exports from $2.3 billion last season. Fertiliser application increased from 330,000 tonnes to 900,000 tonnes due to government distribution of subsidised fertilisers,” he said, noting that next year, the government was expected to introduce the agriculture financing policy.

Livestock and Fisheries Minister Abdallah Ulega commended the sixth-phase government for the budget increase from Sh66 billion to Sh465 billion, increasing its capabilities to address challenges facing herders and fishermen.

“Vaccination and identification of livestock is the ministry’s top priority in the 2024/25 financial year. It aims at providing herders with subsidised vaccines, hence reducing costs by 50 percent, but offering free-of-charge vaccines to chicken keepers,” he said.

The US Ambassador to Tanzania, Michael Battle, during the visit of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) leader Samantha Power, announced a $20 million investment in infrastructure development to address food crop post-harvest losses in the country.

Earlier, President Hassan laid the foundation stone for the construction of the Sh16.763 billion Central Agricultural Referral Laboratory and tractor assembly factory and handed over 600 tractors, 800 power tillers, vehicles for regional and district agricultural supervisors, and several motorbikes to extension officers.