Tanzania secures US$1.3M from Norway for agricultural development
TANZANIA – Tanzania has signed a US$1.3 million financing agreement with Norway to support a three-year agricultural development program, according to local media reports.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture David Silinde stated that the initiative will address regulatory barriers, expand access to international markets, attract private investment, and enhance agricultural productivity.
The program also aims to promote environmentally sustainable farming, improve crop yields, strengthen food security, and support smallholder farmers’ economic conditions.
Agriculture accounts for 23% of Tanzania’s GDP and employs approximately 65% of the workforce.
The government is increasing collaboration with international partners to drive the sector’s expansion.
Around 80% of Tanzania’s exports come from agriculture, with key cash crops including coffee, cotton, sisal, tea, cashew nuts, tobacco, pyrethrum, and cloves.
According to the country’s central bank, these commodities generated more than US$752.3 million in the 2022/2023 financial year.
Staple crops such as maize, rice, sorghum, wheat, beans, cassava, potatoes, and sugarcane primarily serve domestic consumption and local markets.
Tanzania’s agricultural sector has been recording steady progress.
Towards the end of 2024, reports indicated that the country was setting new standards in food self-sufficiency, raising hopes for improved food security across Africa.
Around the same time, President Samia Suluhu Hassan stated that Tanzania had achieved 128% food security and was now exporting surplus produce to neighboring countries.
She made the remarks on October 31 during a high-level session at the World Food Prize Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue in Iowa, where she spoke alongside Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio.
The discussion, moderated by African Development Bank Group President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, focused on strategies to address food shortages in Africa.
President Suluhu Hassan emphasized that after reaching food self-sufficiency, the country was now working on improving food quality, accessibility, affordability, and reducing post-harvest losses.
Adesina highlighted Tanzania’s progress in agriculture and food production, pointing to increasing efforts by other African nations to strengthen their agricultural sectors.
He recalled that the 2023 Dakar 2 Food Summit, co-hosted by Senegal and the African Union, saw 34 African heads of state and government commit to agricultural development, with over US$72 billion mobilized so far.
Following the summit, Tanzania signed an agreement to enhance agricultural productivity and implement institutional support structures for farmers.
President Suluhu Hassan stated that the government recognized that failing to invest in agriculture would be more costly in the long run.
Tanzania has also expanded cashew nut processing, becoming a net exporter instead of sending raw nuts to Asia for processing, as is common in most African countries.
Additionally, the country has achieved near-total rural electrification, with nearly all of its 12,300 villages now connected to electricity.
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