President Samia Directs Agriculture Ministry To Preserve Landrace Seeds
By Senior Reporter VALENTINE OFORO
PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan has instructed the Ministry of Agriculture to embark on needed process for the professional preservation of Tanzania’s landrace seeds.
Dr Samia issued the useful directives when visited the Agricultural Seeds Agency (ASA)’s Msimba- based seed estate in Kilosa District, Morogoro region.
The president emphasized that the Ministry of Agriculture, through its Institutions should start the process of preserving, and taking care of the local seeds.
Amid advanced technologies in production of improved seeds in Tanzania, the president said the landrace seeds remain key for the sector’s performance, insisting the parent ministry to collect and preserve them, saying the seeds are great treasure for the country.
During the vital tour, President Dr. Samia Suluhu inspected the modern ASA Seed Processing Plant with the capacity to process at least 4tons per hour.
The useful facility has the ability to process various seeds such as Maize, Sunflower, Millet, Wheat as well as Legumes.
The president hailed the Agricultural Seed Agency (ASA) for continuing to produce quality agricultural seeds and market them to farmers at affordable prices.
Speaking earlier, the Minister of Agriculture, Hussein Bashe told the President that ASA has continued to invest in modern irrigation infrastructure, saying over 3,000 hectares are set to be installed with irrigation infrastructure in the 2024/2025 financial year.
Minister Bashe expressed that the state- owned seed agency need to acquire more land for establishing vast seed farms with the necessary infrastructure in order to enable the country to achieve the much- needed goals of quality seed production, and thus reduce seeds importation from outside the country.
He informed the president that seed production in the country has increased from 3000tons to 49,000tons while the relevant demand is over 127,000 tons.
Speaking for his part, ASA’s Acting Chief Executive Officer, Leo Mavika expressed to the president that the installed seed processing plant has the capacity to process four tons of seeds per hour.
He said that the factory will enable production of quality seed varieties, the development he observed will cement efforts by the government to heighten seed productivity and reduce importation.
Mavika assured the president that ASA will continue to stand at forefront to implement all instructions from the government so as to help achieve the set goals.
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