Help stimulate agriculture, Chinese urged
More Chinese investors are required in agriculture in Tanzania.
Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives minister Stephen Wassira told the Chinese news agency Xinhua over a phone in Dar es Salaam that such investments in areas such as irrigation would enhance food production and boost bilateral cooperation.
He hailed the good cooperation and the smooth implementation of bilateral cooperation projects in agriculture.
“During the visit of President Hu Jintao to Tanzania in February this year, Tanzanian and Chinese governments signed a series of agreements including that on development and cooperation in agriculture,” Mr Wassira said.
He also noted that the two sides were also keeping good communication on a project of setting up an agricultural technology demonstration centre in Tanzania.
There are some Chinese agriculture projects in Tanzania.
“However, we would like to invite more Chinese companies to invest in agriculture to boost production and marketing,” he said.
On Tanzania’s ‘Agriculture First’ policy, the minister noted that the sector was vital for the national economy.
About 80 per cent of Tanzania’s over 40 million population depends on agriculture.
He also noted that there were few international investments in the agriculture.
They include sugarcane plant projects supported by South Africa and Mauritius as well as aid from the US and Britain for rice production.
Agriculture programmes supported by development partners in Tanzania include those on rural financial services, livestock and agricultural marketing development.
Source – The Citizen