How agriculture sector performed in the last 5 years

What you need to know:

  • CCM manifesto of 2015-2020 shows that the Jakaya Kikwete-led govt managed to increase the agricultural sector’s budget from Sh903.8 billion in the 2010/11 financial year to Sh1.08 trillion in the 2014/15 fiscal year

Dar es Salaam. The 2015 election manifesto of the ruling party CCM targeted to develop agriculture in the country.

However, some critics were of the view that the party’s government turned its back on agriculture as it did not set aside sufficient budget for the sector that employs about 67 percent of Tanzania’s work force.

According to the CCM manifesto of 2015-2020, the government under President Jakaya Kikwete managed to increase the agriculture sector’s budget from Sh903.8 billion in the 2010/11 financial year to Sh1.08 trillion in the 2014/15 fiscal year.

The Kikwete-led government also established an agriculture window at the then Tanzania Investment Bank (TIB) with the aim of giving loans at affordable interest rates to farmers.

The loans were aimed at enabling farmers to buy agri-inputs like farm implements; and even it set up Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank (TADB) .

To strengthen agricultural extension services, the government increased the number of student admissions in agriculture colleges from 1,246 in 2010/11 to 2,500 in 2013/14.

The Kikwete government also ensured that the number of agricultural extension officers went up in rural and ward levels from 5,184 in 2010/11 to 9,558 in 2013/14.

On the production and supply of quality agri-inputs, better seeds were increasingly produced from 10,477.17 tons in 2005 to 32,340 in 2014 as the distribution of fertilizer was as well stepped up from 302,200 tons in 2009/2010 to 343,687 tons in 2013/14. The number of power tillers and tractors that were used in farming also increased from 11,223 in 2010/11 to 16,412 in 2013/14.

Production rate of food crops also continued to soar up from 12.83 million tons in 2009/10 to 16.01 million tons in 2014/15, thereby making the country to be self-sufficient in food.

The construction of a warehouse with a capacity of preserving 5,000 tons of crops was completed in Songea District, Ruvuma Region, in 2013/14 under the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (Sagcot).

Besides that, value-addition to vegetables in Lushoto and Korogwe districts in Tanga Region was made possible as pack-houses and refrigerated containers were constructed in the districts for that purpose.

Sunflower oil processing and refining machines were distributed to groups of small-scale producers in the country’s crop producing regions.

Irrigation farming was given a priority as farming areas under irrigation were expanded, whereby the National Irrigation Act no. 5 of 2013 was enacted to establish the National Irrigation Commission.

Due to the implementation of the agricultural policy and different strategies, the irrigation farming has contributed 24 percent of the country’s food demands.

The goals of the Fifth Phase Government

The 2015-2020 CCM manifesto emphasized on the implementation of Phase Two of the Agricultural Sector 14 Development Programme (ASDP II) that was launched by President John Magufuli in 2018.

Among the issues enshrined in the CCM election manifesto include involving the private sector to build marketing infrastructure and warehouses, particularly in rural areas, for the preservation of different crops.

The manifesto also targeted to provide education and stamp out the barriers of the warehouse receipt system.

The current situation

Analysing the implementation of CCM’s election manifesto in the agriculture sector, Mr Joseph Nyamboha, an analyst of agricultural policies, says the government has managed to create jobs for the youth through the sector.

“The Magufuli administration in the past five years has given its priorities including investing in agriculture. For example, the government pledged more jobs for the youth through agriculture. For that, it was successful by 40 percent,” says Mr Nyamboha.

On investing in the agriculture sector, especially in strategic crops like coffee, cotton, cashews, tea, maize and paddy, he says there have been some challenges, despite the government having removed crop export barriers.

“There are some challenges of crop processing. For example, 80 percent of raw cashews is still being sold outside the country. Sale of crops like cotton is still low and cotton ginneries have been operating seasonally because of low production of the crop. Some textiles like Mwatex, Mutex and Urafiki have also not been revived.

“We had the expectation of seeing such big textiles being revived so we could wear our own manufactured clothes, but it appears there have been no efforts in reviving them,” he says.

However, he says the government has not done justice to the sector as it did not dish out sufficient funds to it as promised.

“For example, in the past the government was giving input subsidies, but nowadays it has stopped doing so,” he says.

He says studies have also not been prioritized. “The African Union wants its member countries to set aside one percent of budgets of their governments for studies, but such budgets do not meet their goals.

“As a result, studies on technologies are still poor and even research centres do not do well,” he says. On irrigation, he explains that only 500,000 hectares out of 29 million hectares get irrigated, adding that funds that are spent on such projects bank on donors.

“The current government’s big budget is on infrastructure, free education, healthcare and grand projects, but agriculture is mostly left to individuals to continue pushing its growth,” he notes.

Cashew market

Despite President John Magufuli's speeches that the government has fixed cashew nut farmers arrears recently, some farmers claimed that they yet to be  paid.  

Speaking at Somanga village in Lindi region en-route to Dar es Salaam from Lupaso Mtwara on July 30, President Magufuli said the government has issued Sh20 billion which is part of more than Sh800 billion allocated for cashew nut farmers payments.

“For cashew nut farmers who were yet to be paid, we have issued Sh20 billion last week so that they can get be paid. We want to settle all debts,” he said.

However, Fikirini Brashi who is a farmer from Nakapanya village in Ruvuma, is still claiming his payments since 2018/19 season.

“We are five in our village who are still claiming our payments, but there might be many farmers in Tunduru district with the same claims. We have already communicated to the Agricultural Minister, Japhet hasunga and he has been calming us saying we will be paid, but has not said the exact date. We have also contacted the Cereal and Other produce Board of Tanzania (CPB) unsuccessfully,” he said.

Speaking via phone to the Citizen, the director general of CPB, Dr Anselm Moshi admitted the claims .

“Almost all farmers have been paid, but some farmers whose accounts were found with problems were rejected by banks, so our officials have been visiting in rural areas to assists farmers with such problems. Many farmers have been assisted, but we know there some are still lagging who are under 1 per cent,” said Dr Anselm.

Chadema’s viewpoint

Contrary to CCM, Chadema in its 2015 election manifesto pledged to implement modern farming by uplifting it to between six and eight percent.

“We aim to put in place policies and strategies that will uplift the status of agriculture in terms of earnings and performance so it could attract the youth and other Tanzanians in general so to get rid of misleading belief over agriculture and to ensure farmers get long term loans from five to 15 years with affordable interest rates.

“This strategy will be strengthened with the support of farmers to form Saccos and village community banking (Vicoba) for giving loans among themselves,” Chadema’s manifesto outlined.

The opposition party also pledged to bring out industrial revolution by improving the education system, vocational training and focus on modern technology to liberate the farmers from hand hoe to modern farming.

“Providing farmers with agricultural extension services and giving them advice on business farming and ensuring they get better seeds and agri-inputs including improving and increasing the number of agricultural research centres.