Agriculture fraternity in key meeting

Dar es Salaam. Agricultural sector stakeholders converge in Dodoma tomorrow for a meeting that will deliberate on ways to improve its contribution to the economy.

The meeting - which is the 4th Annual Agricultural Policy Conference (AAPC) - will begin tomorrow and run through Friday.

It will evaluate the outcomes of last year’s discussions on the subject and propose a new policy for implementation. Speaking in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Prof David Nyange from the Michigan State University said agriculture has what it takes to drive the country’s economy to industrialisation.

“We want to make a revolution in this sector, if we succeed, we can easily make the transition to the next phase of industrialisation, which is a top priority for Tanzania now,” said Nyange, adding that agriculture is a long-term investment that requires patience.

Based on this year’s agenda, which focuses on analysis of food and nutrition security integration into economic transformation and industrialisation, will provide insights on how to attain the 2025 government plan of an industrialised economy.

Furthermore, he thanked the government for ensuring that their requests are implemented.

“A good example is the current reduction of tariffs on agricultural products from 5 to 3 per cent and introduction of a bank that will be providing financial support to farmers,” he said.