Leading agro-business firm pledges to improve sector

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Leading agro-business firm pledges to improve sector

Export Trading Forum, a leading agriculture sector mogul has pledged to work with the government and other stakeholders in the agro-business sector to implement a strategic plan that will see the systematic improvement of the sector.

Griffin Murray Head of Corporate Strategy at Export Trading Forum made the vow recently at an international agriculture conference held in Dar es Salaam.

“The nature and complexities of agriculture,” he said “…require joint effort to expand and improve the sector’s potential,” he explained.

“Realization of objectives, targets and goals in Tanzania’s agriculture development strategies requires,” Murray went on to say noting that “…strong back up from the private sector is an engine driving the sector’s development and the national economy.”

“As key stakeholders, we are ready to support Tanzania and other regional governments to improve performance of the agriculture sector which accounts for a large percentage of aggregate economies and income,” said the ETG official.

Giving specific figures, Murray said agriculture accounts for more than 30 percent of each of EAC’s national GDP and employs nearly 70 percent of the workforce.

“The main challenge ahead is transforming the subsistence nature of the practice into a global industry…we need to think about agriculture more in terms of agribusiness,” he said.

“However, the challenges facing the industry are numerous,” he acknowledged listing a few as low crop yields due to lack of access to seeds, fertilizer, pesticides, crop spoilage resulting from poor storage facilities, low prices due to limited access to market and lack of value-adding processing operations.

Huzeifa Adamji, ETG Public Relations Officer, urged the government and other regional partner states to culture an environment that will attract potential investors to the rapidly growing agriculture sector.

“There are many investors eager to find lucrative sectors to pump in their money but shun away from unstable and unpredictable agriculture policies and laws so it is vital that a inviting environment is nurtured.”

He cited the Kapunga controversy in Mbeya which triggered protracted disputes between investors and villagers saying the government needs to work on establishing friendly land policies that will reassure investors on one hand and the residents on the other.