TANZANIA – Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has advised the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) to increase its grain storage capacity to three million tonnes by 2030.

This announcement came on July 13, during her inspection of the ongoing construction of modern silos and warehouses in Mpanda Municipality, Katavi Region.

The new facilities will enhance the region’s storage capacity from the current 5,000 tonnes to 28,000 tonnes.

This project, worth 14 billion Tanzanian shillings (US5.2M), will help the country address food insecurity and reduce post-harvest losses,” President Samia stated.

President Samia instructed the NFRA to designate the Katavi Region as a special independent zone for purchasing and storing grains. She also emphasized the importance of fair pricing by crop buyers across the country during the grain purchasing season.

President Samia reiterated the government’s commitment to scaling up the agricultural sector, aiming to transition from subsistence farming to commercial farming.

She instructed the regional government to collaborate with the NFRA to identify areas for expanding food storage projects, making Katavi a reliable region for food storage.

Additionally, President Samia highlighted the significant increase in the Agriculture Ministry’s budget, which has tripled over the past three years, from 460 billion shillings (US$172M) in the 2020/21 financial year to 1.248 trillion shillings (US$467M) this fiscal year.

She directed that these funds be allocated efficiently towards building irrigation schemes, promoting extension services, procuring fertilizers, and constructing food storage facilities.

This comes after Hussein Bashe, Minister for Agriculture, recently said Tanzania expects to produce 31.5 million tonnes of food crops compared with 20.4 million tonnes harvested last year.

Bashe revealed that the country expects to harvest over 10 million tonnes of maize during the 2024 season, which runs between mid-June and July, urging farmers to seek markets in neighboring countries for their surplus.

The country expects a bumper harvest, and the surplus will exceed the preliminary demand assessment of maize,” the Ministry reported.

According to Bashe, Tanzania produced 8.1 million tonnes of maize last year against a demand of 6 million tonnes, making a surplus of 2.1 million tonnes for export markets.

The National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) is taking proactive measures by gearing up to purchase cereals from farmers earlier in July. This initiative aims to secure strategic stockpiles while creating a market for the surplus crops.

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