AfricaPress-Tanzania: MINISTER of State in President’s Office (Investment) Prof Kitila Mkumbo has tasked the Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank (TADB) to cooperate with research and other national institutions to produce quality crop seeds.
He told reporters at the end of the inauguration of Katavi Regional Investment Guide that he believes it is pertinent and urgent on the part of TABD to invest in qualify seed production by cooperating with other national institutions, especially the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) in order to strategically strengthen national food security, get quality raw materials for local industries and increase agro-exports.
Prof Mkumbo said to achieve that endeavor; national institutions have to be united under an elaborate strategy and pursue a single aim particularly at this time when the nation is struggling to build an industrial economy by 2025.
The minister said it is illogical to talk of building industries without making big reforms in the agriculture sector, the sector that produces raw materials for those industries.
“What the TADB can do is to invest in production of quality seeds in order to increase agricultural production and feed local industries with quality enough raw materials. I appeal to the TADB and partner banks to invest in agricultural reforms to end the raw materials challenge,” he pleaded.
Citing example of edible oil production, the official said national requirements stand at 500,000 tonnes of oil while industries are producing 210,000 tonnes. The discrepancy, he said, shows clearly the shortage of raw materials to local industries. He called on the bank to unite farmers with industries by giving farmers soft loans.
TADB, he said, has contributed enormously to efforts towards national food security and crop value addition. In Katavi Region, he said, the bank has financed over 30 agro-processing industries.
The TADB was started in 2015 by government as strategic institution with which to grow speedily the agriculture sector.
