The Vice-President of Tanzania, Dr. Philip Mpango at the AGRF Summit 2023, outlined four critical areas to address in transforming food systems in Africa to combat hunger and foster economic growth during his opening remarks at the Africa Food Systems Forum 2023. He stressed the importance of harnessing scientific knowledge and employing multi-sectoral development approaches to tackle challenges such as low production and productivity, food security issues, and nutritional challenges.
Dr. Mpango emphasized the need for African governments to provide small-scale farmers with affordable inputs, knowledge, skills, and financing to enhance productivity. He also called for increased digitalization and funding for scientific research while highlighting the crucial role of youth and women in the food system. Dr. Mpango urged the use of modern technology, access to land, start-up capital, and markets to make agriculture more attractive to the younger generation.
The Vice-President further emphasized the importance of enforcing standard weights and measures and banning exploitative practices to protect farmers. He called on African countries to honor regional trade arrangements, particularly the Africa Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA), by complying with trade protocols and removing non-tariff barriers.
Dr. Mpango also stressed the importance of peace and security as prerequisites for a functional food system and highlighted Tanzania's efforts to build an inclusive, sustainable, and resilient food system through initiatives like the Building a Better Tomorrow: Youth Initiative for Agribusiness (BBT-YIA).
The Tanzanian government reaffirmed its commitment to revolutionize the agricultural sector, aiming to turn it into a thriving business that significantly contributes to economic growth. This ambitious endeavor seeks to streamline the sector, enhancing domestic revenue generation through job creation and boosting foreign exchange earnings from exports.
Dr. Mwigulu Nchemba, the Minister for Finance, expressed the government's determination during his address at the African Food Systems Forum 2023 (AGRF), held at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre (JNICC) in Dar es Salaam. He emphasized the need to shift from subsistence agriculture towards giving agricultural activities a monetary value across the entire value chain.
Highlighting the immense untapped potential of agriculture, Dr. Nchemba stressed that despite the sector's current contribution of $14 billion to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), it could play an even more pivotal role in the nation's economic development.
The minister urged Tanzania to capitalize on improved transport infrastructure and the support of multilateral lending agencies. He noted that the recent global crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, serve as a wake-up call for African countries to invest in productive agriculture. Tanzania, among other African nations, possesses the capacity to produce sufficient wheat and cooking oil for both domestic consumption and export.
Dr. Nchemba identified seven African countries within the continent's Green Belt, including Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, and Kenya, as rich in ecological resources with significant potential to feed the world. However, he pointed out that these nations have yet to invest adequately in critical agricultural areas.
The Minister of Agriculture, Hussein Bashe, outlined measures taken to rectify past mistakes and boost the agricultural sector's productivity. The government has increased the budget allocation to approximately Sh. 900 billion for the 2023/24 fiscal year, focusing on increasing yield per unit area. Their plan includes drilling 67,500 wells and providing each farmer with 2.5 acres of free irrigation and a 5,000-litre tank. By 2030, this initiative aims to benefit 8.5 million farmers.
In terms of irrigation, Mr. Bashe reported that last year, only 720,000 acres were irrigated, with over 95,000 acres added to the irrigation infrastructure within a single fiscal year. The goal is to reach 1.2 million acres of irrigated crop fields across Tanzania by 2025, ultimately targeting 8 million acres. Achieving this would require an average annual investment of Sh1.3 trillion, with ongoing discussions with development partners.
Mr. Bashe also emphasized the government's commitment to promoting cassava production, not only for domestic consumption but also for value addition through processing plants. He acknowledged the need to diversify cassava products for various end users, including household consumption, raw materials for processing industries, medicinal purposes, and paper production.
In closing, he emphasized the significance of Africa's role in global food systems and called for concrete actions to achieve food systems transformation, leveraging the continent's vast land resources, demographic dividend, and the innovative capabilities of African women.
Zanzibar Minister for Blue Economy and Fisheries, Mr. Suleiman Masoud Makame, underscored the importance of investing in smart knowledge and innovation in food systems, recognizing the critical role of water, healthy soil, marine environment protection, and biodiversity conservation in achieving food security and sustainability.