EDITORIAL: LAND OCCUPANCY ISSUES SHOULD BE A PRIORITY

Industrialists who were granted land occupancy rights in the Kizota Ward in Dodoma Region were on Monday this week directed by Lands Minister William Lukuvi to start developing the plots within 90 days.

Failure to do so would prompt legal action against them.

This warning comes after several similar warnings which were given in the past were repeatedly ignored, resulting in many of the plots remaining undeveloped for years.

This time around, the government is able, willing and ready to walk its talk – and enforce its warnings against persons and/or corporates and other institutions who were granted title deeds for land they ostensibly needed for economic and other development projects, but have failed to implement same down the years.

A random survey – including a survey of the ‘20,000 Plots Project’ started in the early 2000s to formally deliver parcels of land for homes countrywide – revealed that many of the plots so-granted have not been developed by the title holders.

We, therefore, urge the government to smartly step in and closely control/monitor land occupancy issues to ensure that this highly-unsatisfactory situation is resolved, and does not continue indefinitely.

We also take this opportunity to commend the government for teaming up with the NMB Bank whereby the latter would finance land surveys to facilitate the granting of title deeds.

This should enable people to readily obtain title deeds for the land they occupy. Also, the move does have multiple benefits, including enabling the collection of more public revenue. We, therefore, urge the government to effectively execute the project far and wide soonest.

This would also be a means of plucking more Tanzanians out of abject poverty, as they would then be able to use their title deeds as collateral with which to more readily access loans that they could use to improve their living standards and the economy in general.

LET’S WALK THE BANANAS TALK

Tanzania has all it takes to become a top banana producing nation in Africa. However, banana cultivation has largely remained non-commercial. Indeed, we lag behind the likes of Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana and Cameroon in Africa’s $4.3 billion annual bananas market.

There is a ray of hope, though, as banana farming in Tanzania may soon become more commercialised. Agriculture Minister Adolf Mkenda’s revelation that a major drive to revolutionise banana farming is in the offing is praiseworthy. But the government should walk its talk on this now.

More than 20 banana varieties thrive in Tanzania, with some of them used mostly in brewing. The new strategy revealed by Prof Mkenda would bolster food security and export earnings, thereby transforming the livelihoods of millions of banana growers across the country.

This would also attract more people into banana farming, doing so using more functional agricultural practices to secure reliable markets and beat the competition. Bananas do not have a specific growing season, and are available the year-round. In that regard, bananas could become the main source of income for many households and the national economy at large.

But, while we applaud the bananas plan, we must remember that other crops also need similar impetus to enable them contribute more to the economy at all levels.