CCM presidential candidate Samia Suluhu Hassan has promised to step up investment in key commercial crops, particularly tobacco and cotton, promising to secure reliable international markets and strengthen support systems for farmers.

Addressing campaign rallies yesterday in Kaliua and Urambo districts of Tabora Region, Samia underscored the government’s commitment to continuing subsidies for farm inputs such as fertiliser, ensuring fair markets, and guaranteeing timely payments to farmers.
 She said such measures were critical in improving household livelihoods and driving national economic growth.
“Tobacco is a key crop that has transformed the lives of thousands of households in Tabora,” she told the gathering. “We will continue to seek new markets for tobacco to ensure farmers benefit from their hard work.”
Samia assured tobacco growers in the region that those who have not yet received payments from certain companies will soon be paid. She noted that the government has already licensed more buying companies in a bid to end delays in farmer payments.
Highlighting achievements under her administration, the CCM candidate revealed that investment in tobacco farming had significantly expanded, pushing farmers’ earnings from just a few million dollars in the 2021/22 season to more than 50 million this year.
She added that cotton, another major cash crop for Tanzanian farmers, would also receive greater support through access to subsidised inputs, improved extension services, and new initiatives to strengthen international competitiveness.
Beyond agriculture, Samia pledged to improve rural and urban infrastructure, noting that modernised road networks linking villages, towns and regions would unlock further economic opportunities.
She further promised the construction of irrigation schemes and dams in Igombe, Mnange and Libula areas of Kaliua District to enhance water availability for farming and community use.
Farmers in Tabora hailed Samia’s support through subsidised inputs, saying the initiative had greatly reduced their production costs and boosted yields.
“In the past we struggled to buy fertiliser at high prices, but with the subsidies, we are now able to cultivate larger farms and harvest more,” said Salum Rashid, a tobacco farmer from Kaliua District.
Asha Mohamed, a cotton grower in Urambo, said the timely supply of farm inputs had helped her family increase income.
For Juma Kanyoro, another farmer in Nzega District thanked the government’s move to bring in more licensed buyers has restored trust in the market. “We no longer have to wait endlessly for payments. It has given us confidence to keep investing in our farms,” he said.