AGRICULTURE BOOSTS GOVERNMENT REVENUE IN KIGOMA

By Fadhili Abdallah, Kigoma

Agriculture contributes 44 per cent of government revenue in Kigoma Region, making it a key driver of the region’s economy and trade, a regional official has said.

Assistant Administrative Secretary for Economic and Productive Services, James Peter, made the remarks during a visit by Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Resident Director Kim Sik Hyun to the Kigoma Agricultural Productivity Project (KITIKI), implemented with support from the World Food Programme (WFP).

Peter said agricultural production had increased by 17 per cent over the past three years, driven by greater use of fertilizers and improved seeds, while improving farmers’ access to markets remained a key priority.

***Mkurugenzi Mkazi wa Shirika la Maendeleo la serikali ya Korea (KOICA) Kim Sik Hyun***

He said KITIKI had helped farmers overcome market challenges, with WFP purchasing maize and beans produced locally to supply food to refugees hosted in the region.

KOICA Country Director in Tanzania, Kim Sik Hyun, said KITIKI had played a significant role in improving agricultural productivity in Kigoma and increasing smallholder farmers’ incomes, further strengthening agriculture’s contribution to the regional economy.

Claudio Ruhiza (right), Secretary of the TUKOME primary farmers’ cooperative in Kasulu District, Kigoma Region, explains the process of entering member data and maintaining the cooperative’s financial records to Kim Sik Hyun (left), Resident Director of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). This took place during a visit by the official to the cooperative, which is one of the beneficiaries of the ‘Kilimo Tija Kigoma’ (KITIKI) project, funded by KOICA.

During the visit, Kim toured TUKOME Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Society (AMCOS), where he highlighted the role of primary agricultural cooperatives in increasing production, improving farming practices and raising farmers’ incomes. He added that the cooperatives had also helped strengthen relations between refugees and host communities living around refugee camps.

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WFP Country Director Ronald Tran Ba Huy said that before KITIKI was introduced, the agency sourced food for refugees in Kigoma from other regions. However, the project had since strengthened local farmers’ capacity, enabling WFP to purchase a substantial share of the maize and beans required for refugee food supplies directly from farmers in Kigoma.

Briefing the delegation from KOICA, WFP and the Tanzanian government, TUKOME Secretary Claudio Ruhiza said the cooperative had sold 988 tones of crops worth 1.4 billion Tanzanian shillings in domestic and international markets over the past three years. The sales included 200 tones of beans supplied to WFP.

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