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Press release from Agricultural Council of Tanzania
May 5th 2008
Food crises exhibits agriculture’s low performance
Tanzania needs a Green Revolution where Government considers agriculture as important and supports it with incentives and investments, says Agricultural Council of Tanzania
With the global food crises also sneaking into Tanzania where prices on basic commodities many cases now are doubling, the country’s agricultural sector stands its hard test. But unfortunately Tanzanian agriculture is not ready for putting up the speed in order to avoid domestic food shortage and maybe even benefit from the raising demand and prices.
Lack of capacity, financing and incentives together with old fashion production methods is currently keeping Tanzanian agriculture on level of subsistence. And only a completely changed idea of what agriculture is and how is should be supported can make up for crises like the one we are facing now – the country needs a Green Revolution! says Agricultural Council of Tanzania.
A so called Green Revolution would mean that agriculture is considered so important that the sector should be allocated at least 10-12 percent of the total annual budget instead of the current around 4%.
Likewise, that the Government would offer agriculture economical incentives based on taxation, subsidies and rebates, such as removal of VAT on agricultural products, duty on fuel, reduction or abolishing of corporate tax on agricultural production.
Private sector should be encouraged and strengthened to engage in agriculture, and agro processing should be put in focus for investment in order to add value to agricultural produce. And to encourage investment in modern farming methods it should be possible for farmers to get long term credit on affordable interest rates.
On top of this, a real improvement of infrastructure like roads, railways, electricity, should be part of the overall improvement of conditions for agriculture.
These actions are vital steps in a modernization and commercialization of Tanzanian agriculture and necessary if the country should reach a higher economic growth. Instead of advising people to stock food for future use the Minister of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives should join up with his minister colleagues to give real support to the important agricultural sector, states Agricultural Council of Tanzania.
For more information, please contact
Executive Director Janet Bitegeko, ACT
Phone office: 22 2124851 Cell: 0754 305 985
Email:
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Or
Website: www.actanzania.org |
