THE Agriculture Transformation Office (ATO) is set to implement at least 15 projects designed to revolutionise the agriculture sector across the country.

The envisaged initiatives will be implemented by the office and agriculture stakeholders under the project titled, 'Driving Agricultural Transformation in Tanzania'. 

Speaking in an interview recently, ATO Director General Elizabeth Misokia said that implementation of the projects is part of concerted efforts to address critical bottlenecks across the agricultural value chain while ensuring equal access to opportunities for all members of society. 

She said the projects include expansion of agricultural irrigation areas to 1.2 million hectares, quintupling seed production, improving soil health, scaling up market linkages and capacity building of red meat and dairy farmers.

"Among other projects want to accomplish include those based on development of traditional cash crops and food crops through expert-led initiatives and improvement of agricultural business profitability," she said. 

Misokia said other initiatives incorporate acceleration of commercial activities for priority commodities, increasing processing and storage capacities and heightening regional and international exports to the tune of USD 6 billion.

"We also want to implement projects on digital registration for farmers and stakeholders, expanding the coverage of extension services across the country as well as providing access to financing for 1.7 million beneficiaries and 30,000 SMEs," she said. 

She said there will be execution of projects meant to unlock 1.5 million hectares for commercial agriculture and 1.2 million hectares for smallholder farmers as well as a special project for enhancing overall food security in the country. 

"At the core of our mission is the Agriculture Master Plan. This plan serves as a guiding roadmap that draws on previous sectoral experiences, laying out a vision for our food systems by 2050, with actionable plans leading up to 2030 " she said. 

The foundation of ATO was laid at the summit of heads of state and government of 34 African countries held in Dakar, Senegal in 2023 through which leaders emphasized the need for a cohesive approach to food security and agriculture development. 

As a result, some of the countries’ agricultural authorities agreed to establish the Presidential Food and Agriculture Delivery Council which is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the agriculture delivery compact endorsed at the Dakar 2 Summit.