TANZANIA- The Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has announced it will provide TZS 106 billion (US$40 million) through the Building Better Tomorrow (BBT) initiative to enhance agriculture production in Tanzania.
The funds will be used to provide access to international markets for Tanzania’s agricultural produce, finances, and training to enhance the quality and quantity of agricultural produce across the value chain and build resilience of the country’s agricultural sector.
AGRA also revealed it intends to achieve this resilience by collaborating with the government through the National Seed Investment Plan, which implements sustainable technologies for future farming systems.
Hailemariam Dessalegn, AGRA’s Chairman and former Ethiopian Prime Minister, said, “We are committed to supporting Tanzania’s efforts in building a sustainable and stable food system.”
“In this, we aim to play a crucial role in transforming Tanzania’s agricultural landscape and ensuring food security for future generations through financial support, sustainable technology, and collaborative marketing and industry support.”
However, the Chairman reiterated the need to attract more partners and financiers for the initiative and encourage women and the youth to leverage the funding offered by the initiative.
AGRA and the government reiterated the need to make it easier for the youth to actively engage in agriculture. AGRA particularly emphasized the need for the initiative to tackle four major challenges that hinder young people’s entry into the farming sector- lack of appropriate farming technology, limited access to land, inadequate markets, and inhibited access to markets.
According to the government, the total cost of the BBT initiative is estimated to be TZS 33 trillion (US$13.3 billion) spread over a decade. The government called on the private sector, non-profits, and other donors to help finance the initiative.
The initiative is a continuation of AGRA’s interest in investing in Tanzania’s agriculture sector. The organization’s support for Tanzania can be traced back to 2017. The organization has provided financing and technological support to 1.5 million smallholder farmers since 2017 through US$55 million spread through 11 grants.
The announcement is AGRA’s largest single-project grant since it established its strategic agriculture-development partnership with Tanzania.
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