Tanzania In Sustainable Strategy To Heighten Annual Rice Production

 By STAFF REPORTER, In Dar es Salaam

THE ministry of agriculture in cooperation with various institutions are working diverse efforts to heighten the country’s annual rice production tonnage from less than 2.5 tonnes per hectare to more than five tonnes by 2030.

To attain the needed target, efforts are being made to ensure the farmers are adopting best agricultural technology and agronomic practices, but also intensive seeds research is conducted.

The impressive revelation into the vital economic sub-sector has been unveiled by the the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Gerald Mweli in his remarks to grace inauguration of a three-day Rice Breeding Innovations (RBI) partners’ Annual Meeting for East and Southern Africa (ESA).

Convened in Dar es Salaam, the annually-staged gathering attracted participation from 11 countries, besides participants from CGIAR centres – International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), AfricaRice and the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT).

Mr. Mweli underscored the importance of partnerships with farmers, research institutions, particularly Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) and global organisations, in the general quest to ensure the set goals for the improvement of the sector are achieved.

“Our goal as a government is for Tanzania to produce sufficient rice to meet national demand, contribute to enhancing food security across Africa and ultimately become the continent’s leading rice producer,” he said.

He noted that the RBI programme is a public-private partnership that aims to develop and deploy improved rice varieties for smallholder farmers in ESA. Tanzania plays a key role as a rice producer. The programme is implemented by the IRRI.

The first day of the conference united over 100 top rice experts and stakeholders from 11 countries, each laser-focused on improving rice production in the region.

IRRI Director General, Dr. Ajay Kohil expressed during the forum that through implementation of the Agenda 20-30, Tanzania was likely heading towards the right direction when it comes to improvement of the sector across the country.

He observed that the world has high expectations for Tanzania and ESA nations to increase rice production, which is still a problem across the board.

Regional Director, IRRI-Africa, Dr Abdelbagi Ismail, highlighted the pressing need for Tanzania and other ESA nations to stimulate improvements in rice production to combat hunger and increase income to eliminate poverty for millions of smallholder farmers.

“Africa is sitting on 60 per cent of the world’s uncultivated arable land. The paradox of this untapped potential, juxtaposed with the rampant food insecurity and malnutrition in Africa, can and must be resolved. The key lies in enhancing quality, increasing productivity and ensuring profitability for our farmers.”

“The urgency is palpable. Climate change is not waiting, nor can we. Rice is a lifeline for millions and we have a shared responsibility to innovate and increase its production sustainably,” he noted.

For his side, TARI Director General, Dr Geoffrey Mkamilo said: “Tanzania stands as one of the leading rice producers in Africa, but there’s a huge room for improvement. Our average yield of 2.5 tonnes per hectare is an area that needs universal attention at national, regional and continental scales.”

“I believe together we can accomplish much more and make a difference that neither of us could do alone. Let us keep this excellent partnership going and growing,” said Dr Abdelbagi Ismail, Regional Director of IRRI-Africa.