PRIME Minister Kassim Majaliwa has commended the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) for its exemplary role in advancing agricultural development in the country.

He announced that, due to SAGCOT's success, the government has launched the Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (AGCOT) to further enhance agricultural productivity by establishing three additional agricultural zones.

Speaking at the AGCOT launch yesterday, also attended by Agriculture Minister Hussein Bashe, Majaliwa noted that SAGCOT has set a high standard for agricultural growth in the Southern Corridor over the past 14 years.

"As a government, we take pride in SAGCOT's achievements in advancing agriculture, and the programme had shown significant success," Majaliwa stated. "Building on these successes, we decided to expand the initiative in the fiscal year 2022-2023 by establishing three new zones to reach more farmers, boost crop production, and improve their economic well-being."

SAGCOT's success spans the regions of Morogoro, Iringa, Njombe, Mbeya, Songwe, Rukwa, Katavi, Dar es Salaam, and Coast.

Majaliwa emphasised that the establishment of new agricultural zones aims to increase productivity across the country using participatory approaches that consider regional geographical and ecological conditions.

The new zones are northern zone (Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Manyara, Tanga), southern zone (Lindi, Mtwara, Ruvuma), lake and central zone (Dodoma, Singida, Tabora, Shinyanga, Mwanza, Geita, Simiyu, Mara, Kagera)

Majaliwa said the goal is for the zones to mirror the success seen in the southern corridor managed by SAGCOT. "Each agricultural zone will be developed based on its climate, soil, and geographical characteristics," he explained.

The initiative will also provide farmers with tailored information on crop types suitable for their regions, improving productivity and reducing losses caused by incorrect farming practices. A specific planting schedule will be introduced in each zone to guide farmers on the most viable crops for their areas.