TANZANIA – The Agricultural Markets Development Trust (AMDT) is seeking to invest over Tsh 4 billion (US$1.7m) to facilitate various interventions meant to transform sunflower and pulses subsectors in the country.
The amount will be issued as grants to nine partner organizations and government institutions that will co-facilitate the implementation of agricultural development projects in 11 regions of Tanzania benefiting over 100,000 farmers.
The regions to be covered by the project are Manyara, Singida, Dodoma, Morogoro, Arusha, Lindi, Mtwara, Songwe, Ruvuma, Njombe, and Rukwa.
AMDT Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Charles Ogutu highlighted that the financial backing will focus on interventions that feed into the government’s priorities in the agricultural sector as defined in the agenda 10/30 and the Agricultural Sector Development Programmes (ASDP) II.
The investment will facilitate availability and access to improved seeds, access to finance in the two crop sectors, business development services, and good agricultural practices including post-harvest management that farmers can benefit from.
Additionally, the projects will also improve access to rural advisory services and value addition in sunflowers and pulses.
Mr. Ogutu revealed that currently, project agreements allow implementation up to the year 2023. However, it is expected that well-performing partnerships will be extended for another year up to 2024.
All interventions will adhere to gender transformative approaches to ensure equitable and meaningful participation and benefit for women, youth, and men.
Moreover, climate-smart agriculture practices and technologies will be strengthened in all projects and partnerships to tackle the effects of climate change to enable farmers to become more resilient.
Mr. Ogutu underscored the need for partnerships for development between the public and private sector actors as a sure way of consolidating efficacy and deliverability in Tanzania’s agricultural transformation.
“The current global socio-economic context clearly aligns developing and emerging economies as the future pillars for world food security and growth. Without transforming our agricultural economy, one sector at a time, Tanzania will miss out on very important opportunities.”
“The government through the Ministry of Agriculture has already shown the way by injecting the biggest budget for the sector, with clear priorities. Our work, our effort together with our partners and collaborators is to support the national transformation of our main economic sector – agriculture,” he stated.
He said that AMDT’s work has one goal – to unleash large-scale positive changes in agriculture leading to a broad and sustained impact on the lives of thousands of productive people with increased opportunities for employment and income.
The government has placed agriculture central to the industrialization drive as articulated in the Third Five-Year Development Plan (FYDP III) 2021/2022-2025/2026.
The sector remains central to Tanzania’s industrialization and a source of livelihood for approximately 65.0 percent of the population.
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