Dar es Salaam: Tanzania on Thursday signed the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) compact with President Jakaya Kikwete pledging for the country's more commitment to make agriculture a true accelerator of the economic development.
President Kikwete who witnessed the compact's signing ceremony in Dar es Salaam on Thursday, said the country had in the past failed to improve the sector due to many factors including application of poor technology, budget allocation and equipment but the current step will enable the country accelerate further. Following the adoption of CAADP, Tanzania will now qualify for many advantages including the 50,000 million US Dollars (about 73bn) grant from the special fund contributed by G 20 countries for CAADP signatories.
"Although the African Union through New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) has recommended for the allocation of at least 10 per cent of the national budget for the sector, still the allocation won't be adequate considering many challenges facing the sector," the President noted.
Mr Kikwete said that through CAADP agreement, Tanzania will be more serious in making sure enough budgetary allocations are made complimenting other contributions from stakeholders and development partners. He was confident however, that since the budget allocations have been significantly increasing from 3 per cent in 2005/2006 to nearly 9 per cent in 2010-2011, the country will soon manage to surpass the 10 per cent target set by NEPAD.
The Minister for Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives, Mr Stephen Wasira, said the signing of CAADP compact will soon boost the country's agricultural programmes under implementation and that already it has applied for the G 20 basket fund. "We will benefit by these funds basing on how we implement CAADP agreements and we are likely to keep on qualifying for the funding provided we remain compliant," he said.
The minister mentioned comprehensive investment plans in irrigation, merchandise, research development and extension services, use of improved agricultural inputs, and fast tracking the establishment of the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB).
Others are improvement of rural infrastructure, agro-processing and value addition, renewable natural resources, environment and climate change, promotion of private-public sector partnership, financial intermediation for small scale producers, processors and traders and capacity building at all levels.
"The government's commitment would in turn encourage the development partners, private sectors and non state actors to partner with the government to ensure that the targeted goals are accomplished," he stressed.
The Compact signatories included various Ministers representing the Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar as well representation of the Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) Non State Actors and the Farmers.
Earlier, stakeholders met on Tuesday under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister, Mr Mizengo Pinda, to review the CAADP framework and came up with the country's gaps and important areas that need intervention. Those included inadequate participation of the private sector in agricultural policy formulation and implementation processes, inadequate incentive packages for increased investment in the sector and outdated policies like the National Trade Policy of 2003 and Agriculture and Livestock Policy of 1997 among others.
Enhancement of the private sector in small, medium and large-scale irrigation programmes as well as linking rural roads, electrification, communication and agricultural market to regional market network were part of the areas proposed by CAADP for improvement.
