DEPUTY Minister for Agriculture David Silinde has urged farmers to prepare to replace rain-fed farming with irrigation that guarantees certainty hence bumper harvests.

Silinde made the call in Dar es Salaam yesterday while briefing reporters on the outcomes of the recently concluded China-Africa Cooperation Forum (FOCAC 2024) held in Beijing.

During the forum, President Samia Suluhu Hassan emphasized the need to modernize agriculture and directed the ministry of Agriculture to build dams and implement water harvesting programmes to support irrigation across the country, Silinde said.

“Our new directive as outlined by the President, is to prioritise construction of dams and effective utilization of water for farming, rather than relying solely on rainfall,” he said.

Silinde also said that China has allocated $360 billion for Africa over the next three years, with a portion of the funds earmarked for Tanzania’s irrigation programme. This investment is expected to bring significant benefits to farmers.

The deputy minister said that the government is committed to completing existing irrigation projects and launching new ones to support farmers nationwide. 

“We are dedicated to finalizing all ongoing irrigation projects and initiating new initiatives to help our farmers achieve their goals,” he said.

Silinde noted that the forum opened new opportunities for Tanzania to export its agricultural products to China, a market that had been previously untapped. 

“We now have the opportunity to export our agricultural products to China. We have already signed agreements to export sunflower seed cake and chilies,” he said.

Additionally, during the visit, the government signed a contract with Mainland Group for the construction of a large sunflower oil production factory in Tanzania. The factory is expected to address the country’s high demand for sunflower oil and reduce reliance on imports.