AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE government has tasked the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) to expand its grains’ collection by at least 120,000 tonnes this year, and further tap East and Southern African markets which are likely to report food shortages.
Issuing the directive, the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Japhet Hassunga asked the newly appointed Board of Directors to ensure that the agency exploits any opportunity in the market.
He said they should capitalise in international agencies’ opportunities, especially the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) with good strategies to boost their incomes.
Mr Hassunga said in the recent months some East and Southern Africa countries of Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Rwanda and DR Congo experienced a wave of locust invasion, which could potentially affect their domestic food supply chains.
“This is the time that we want to see NFRA operating as a business entity,” he noted, adding that the government has allocated them at least 15bn/-that the Minister hinted is not sufficient to buy the targeted 2 4,000 tonnes.
Mr Hassunga said despite the money not being enough, the agency must crack head and increase grains’ collection by at least 12 0,000 tonnes, further hinting that the local market is still not enough for it and must go beyond the country.
It is in records that during the 2 019/2 02 0 fiscal year, NFRA bought only 3,000 tonnes of maize, while competing with businessmen buying the same product from the same farmers.
Showing concern, Mr Hassunga said the government recently embarked on construction and renovation of silos in Rukwa, Katavi, Manyara, Songwe, Shinyanga, Dodoma and Songea with the financial help from Poland to stock enough produce.
The investment, however, brings the cereals reserve to store over 5 00,000 tonnes, saying: “We have a huge reserve capacity and it’s high time that we moved beyond storing only maize.”
