The government of Tanzania has recently initiated new plans to boost farmer’s productivity by giving farmers the opportunity to decide the best places where farm produce should be sold.
Mr Leo Mavika from the Prime Minister’s Office, Regional Administration and Local Government Sector Coordination Development told young farmers while speaking during the Agricultural Non-state Actors Forum(ANSAF) learning event 2015 in Dodoma that, “There has been a stakeholders’ discussion that since we are advocating agribusiness, it is better to leave farmers decide where and at what price to sell their produce”.
The forum which brought together young farmers to discuss the role of the private sector in agriculture and the involvement and gain for the youths, extensively addressed the need for the government to leave farmers to make decision over their own produce. The farmers argued that if the country real wants to embrace agribusiness, agriculture needs to be treated as other businesses whose owners are free to sell whenever they feel and with the prices that favour them.
In response to the farmers, Mavika said “There is still a need for a proper implementation plan to see how some issues need to be settled before making the plan practical like when farmers receive government subsidies”. He added that the government will continue to provide professional advice to farmers who would like to consult the government.
Mr Michael Mayunga, the director of Early Childhood Development (ECD) Tanzania, called on farmers to remain with control over the loans extended to farmers to avoid some farmers being lured by some financiers
