Vice President warns against poor agricultural practices

 The Vice President, Samia Suluhu Hassan led thousands of Tanzanians yesterday to commemorate the Farmers’ Day and underscored the importance of protecting environment.

Ms Hassan warned that Tanzania risks facing food insecurity because majority of the formers do not adhere to sustainable farming methods, which helps in the protection of the environment.

“Some farmers still use the slash-and-burn method in clearing their farms. This isn’t good for the environment at all,” said the Vice President. Addressing the public in Lindi, Ms Hassan reiterated the government stance that it will not supply food to any district, which will face food shortage due to laxity.

She directed regional and district commissioners to take legal action against the farmers using agricultural methods, which harm the environment.

According to her, Tanzania will only overcome poverty if its people especially farmers worked hard.

The Vice President said the government would come up with a strategy that will ensure that farmers, fishermen and livestock keepers benefit from their activities since they constitute 65 per cent of the population.

One of the measures that the government has already taken was scrapping of some levies, which the farmers were forced to pay when selling their produce.

The government cancelled over 100 levies from agriculture, fisheries and pastoralism sectors.

Tabling the 2017/18 budget estimates for the ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Dr Charles Tizeba told the House that 108 levies, which were irritating the farmers, would be scrapped from July 1, this year.

In agriculture alone, out of the existing 139 levies, 80 have been scrapped while 23 and five levies currently charged on livestock and fisheries sectors respectively will also be cancelled.

The decision meant to reduce a heavy burden of numerous taxes that the farmers and traders are subjected to, which in the end, leads to high prices of products and agricultural produce.

In Arusha, Hanang District Commissioner Sara Msafiri Ally challenged the farmers to use the knowledge they obtain from various exhibitors at the Njiro Nanenane grounds to transform agriculture.

“Many farmers don’t use the knowledge they obtain from the exhibitors to transform their activities (agriculture).

She also challenged experts to reach out to the farmers in rural areas. For his part, Mwanza Regional Commissioner Mr John Mongela pleaded with the ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries to pick one of the Lake Zone regions to host the next edition of the Farmers’ Day.

He also commended President John Magufuli for his efforts to ensure that Tanzania attains the industrial economy status by 2020.

Mr Mongela said he believes that the industrialisation drive will also increase farmers’ productivity due to the demand of raw materials.