Samia’s plan to transform tobacco farming in Tabora

Tabora. CCM presidential candidate and incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan yesterday unveiled ambitious plans to transform tobacco curing practices, capitalising on the crop’s remarkable success as an economic driver.

 Speaking during a campaign rally in Urambo, she said her focus on sustainable innovation aims to cement Tabora’s position as Tanzania’s tobacco powerhouse while tackling environmental challenges head-on.

“Here at Urambo, tobacco production nearly doubled from 11,208 tonnes in the 2021/22 season to 20,492 tonnes in 2024/25 and revenues soared from $11 million to $50 million,” she said.

Addressing a vibrant crowd of farmers, traders and supporters, President Hassan celebrated the tobacco sector’s boom, attributing it to her administration’s reforms that replaced inefficient procurement methods with streamlined, market-friendly systems.

 However, she warned that this success risks being undermined by deforestation, as many farmers rely on firewood to cure tobacco, contributing to environmental degradation in the region.

“Let’s stop cutting our trees to fuel tobacco curing,” the CCM candidate said, pledging to spearhead the adoption of cutting-edge, eco-friendly technologies.

“I promise to lead this green revolution, ensuring our tobacco remains world-class while protecting our environment for future generations,” she said, framing the initiative as a cornerstone of her climate-conscious agricultural agenda.

Infrastructure took centre stage as well. In Urambo, President Hassan unveiled plans for a new agricultural market and upgraded business kiosks to boost trade, alongside enhanced social services in water, education and health.

CCM parliamentary hopeful Margaret Sitta, standing alongside her, amplified the message by prioritising road network expansions to connect isolated communities.

At her afternoon rally in Kaliua, President Hassan focused on water security, she pledged to construct new dams and expand irrigation schemes to enable year-round farming, critical for crops like maize and rice in a region prone to erratic rainfall.

Extending the Building Better Tomorrow (BBT) program—likely a reference to a results-driven agricultural initiative—Hassan promised targeted interventions to accelerate productivity, ensuring Kaliua becomes a model of sustainable agribusiness.

 “Here we are going to introduce modern auction systems and subsidized machinery like tractors and harvesters,” she said.

 Moreover she committed to establishing designated livestock grazing areas to prevent land-use conflicts, a pressing issue in pastoralist communities.

Beyond agriculture, President Hassan addressed the crowd’s cheers with promises of enhanced social infrastructure, particularly water projects to provide clean, reliable supply for households and livestock.