Africa-Press – Tanzania. MEMBERS of Parliament have commended the government for its robust efforts to boost the agricultural sector and advance Tanzania’s ambitious agricultural transformation goals.
They called for disbursement of allocated budget to boost the potential of the sector to drive the country’s growth and development.
Contributing to the ministry’s 1.242tri/- budget for the 2025/26 financial year, many lawmakers commended the ministry’s initiatives, including the expansion of irrigation schemes to boost farming, and the establishment of a Cooperative Bank, which is poised to uplift farmers through the provision of affordable loans.
A Member of Parliament for Namtumbo, Vita Kawawa, succinctly articulated the basis of their commendation for the minister.
“We are not praising Minister for Agriculture Mr Hussein Bashe because of the beauty of his suit, or his height, or because he is handsome,” Kawawa stated.
“We are praising him because of his capability. Kawawa commended the government for the success of the Warehouse Receipt System, stating that it has led to increased crop prices and has effectively eliminated exploitative middlemen who previously undercut farmers’ earnings.
He said for instance pigeon pea price has increased to 220,000/- per a sack up from 13,000/-.
Special Seats Member of Parliament, Jackline Msongozi, drew a notable comparison between Minister Bashe and Burkina Faso’s interim President, Ibrahim Traoré, a military officer and politician who has served since 2022.
However, some of them expressed concerns of under disbursement of allocated budget, saying it undermines the potential of the sector to drive growth and development and reduce poverty.
Presenting the ministry’s budget for 2025/2026 financial year, Minister Bashe said as of April 664bn/- only out of the approved 1.24tri/- had been disbursed to the ministry, amounting to 53.19 per cent of the total allocation.
Special Seat Member of Parliament for Chadema, Esther Bulaya expressed concern over under disbursement of budgetary allocation to agriculture sector.
She argued that providing only 53 per cent of the allocated budget would significantly threaten the sector’s capacity to achieve its objectives.
“How will we achieve the dream of uplifting agriculture and the lives of farmers like this? We must pressure the Ministry of Finance to release the funds so that the good goals set by the ministry can be fulfilled,” she said.
Member of Parliament for Muhambwe Constituency in Kigoma Region, Dr Florence Samizi called for sufficient funds to be allocated to the Ministry of Agriculture, stressing that inadequate funding undermines the sector’s potential as the economy’s mainstay and a driver of growth.
“Sufficient funds should be allocated to the agricultural sector to uplift that sector, which employs most Tanzanians, spurs economic growth and development and reduces poverty,” Dr Samizi said.
Anatropia Lwehikila Theonest (Special Seats, Chadema) urged the government to revert to the Malabo Declaration that calls for allocation of at least 10 per cent of national budgets to agriculture to boost its growth.
The Malabo Declaration, a commitment made by African Heads of State and Government in 2014, calls for allocating at least 10 per cent of national budgets to agriculture.
The declaration aims to accelerate agricultural growth and transformation, ultimately improving livelihoods and food security on the continent.
The target of 10 per cent is a significant part of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), which serves as the framework for agricultural transformation across Africa.
The East African Community (EAC) has also urged partner states to implement the Malabo Declaration and its 10 per cent target. She also called for more investments to mechanise the agricultural sector to boost its growth and transformation and improve the livelihood of 61 per cent of Tanzanians who depend on sector for their livelihood.
“If we want to empower the 61 per cent of Tanzanians employed in the sector, we must mechanise the agriculture,” she said.
The call for mechanisation of agriculture was echoed by Member of Parliament for Momba in Songwe Region, Condesta Sichwale who advocated for a paradigm shift in farming practices, moving away from traditional, labourintensive methods towards more efficient, technology-driven approaches to enhance output and farmer well-being.
“Many Tanzanians still use hand hoes. If we stop using hand hoes and instead use tractors and other modern tools, farmers will use more intellect and less physical strength.
They will farm a smaller area and harvest more. Speaking about funding to the Ministry of Agriculture, a Member of Parliament Jackline Msongozi (Special Seats), called on the Minister for Finance to dish out sufficient funds to the Ministry of Agriculture so that it can work and achieve its goals.
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