VICE President Dr. Philip Mpango has issued a sharp reminder to regional administrators and agriculture sector officials on steps to improve the agricultural sector productivity.

In a speech read on his behalf by Makongoro Nyerere, the Rukwa regional commissioner when closing the Southern Highlands agricultural exhibition, he directed the ministry to work with regional secretariats to oversee the establishment of agricultural technology demonstration centers in wards, to increase crop productivity.

Out of the ten distinct directives issued, eight were directed at regional and district commissioners, while two focused on Agriculture ministry functions, among them the need to take up technologies showcased at annual exhibitions in different parts of the country to each farmers through the centers, located close to where people live.

The stand-in RC said he had toured exhibition booths and seen various agricultural, livestock and fisheries technologies that can benefit the farmers. “But not all farmers can make it here, so I am instructing regional and district commissioners to supervise the establishment of such centers in local government areas,” he said.

Initially there would be no need to construct buildings and instead, demonstration plots can be prepared to train farmers on modern production methods, he said, appealing to regional and district commissioners to encourage farmers to store sufficient grain to meet household needs.

Surplus grain should be sold to the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) in its Southern Highlands centres as the zone leads in grain harvests countrywide.

He similarly tasked the regional secretariats to oversee the livestock vaccination programme recently launched by President Samia Suluhu Hassan in Simiyu Region, to protect animals from diseases and improve livestock quality.

They also need to maintain databases of livestock in their areas to facilitate service delivery to herders, he said, instructing officials to ensure that irrigation infrastructure are managed to ensure their longevity, thus stemming farmers’ conflicts with herders.

The National Irrigation Commission needs to ensure that irrigation infrastructure takes into account livestock with designated watering points, he emphasised.

Upholding nutrition agreements already signed and overseeing implementation of nutrition interventions to combat child stunting in their regions is another vital instruction, as malnutrition is more prevalent in regions with high grain production.

Ensuring environmental conservation by educating the various communities was emphasized, promoting climate-smart agriculture and avoiding cultivation near water sources.

RCs and DCs were asked to ensure that the October 29 polls are conducted peacefully and in an orderly manner in their areas, with agro-sector officials in the zone directed to timely complete grain storage infrastructure (silos) in Mbozi District, Songwe Region.

Distributing agricultural equipment in all regions along with soil testing kits to improve productivity was also imperative, the stand-in RC intoned.