Press Release

The loan agreement on Tanzania Agricultural Input Support Project was signed by Dr. Natu E. Mwamba, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance and Planning and Mr. ARA Hitoshi, Chief Representative of Tanzania Office, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), on Thursday April 27, 2023.

Dr. Natu E. Mwamba and Mr. ARA Hitoshi emphasized that the project will contribute to improve production of wheat, sunflower, and rice in Tanzania.

The overall goal of this project is to boost local food production and strengthen the resilience of food systems to mitigate short- and long-term food security risks such as rapidly increasing commodity prices due to the Ukraine - Russia crisis and climate-induced stresses in Tanzania. The loan worth JPY10 billion (USD70 million).

The objective is to improve production, productivity and profitability of wheat, sunflower, and rice by scaling up the delivery of affordable inputs (certified seeds and fertilizers) to smallholder farmers in the target areas.

The project is structured into three components, including scaling up food production, financing mechanism for fertilizer availability and affordability and enabling policy environment and institutional strengthening.

The project will be implemented in various regions including: Arusha, Manyara, Mbeya, Rukwa, Kilimanjaro and Njombe in the northern and southern highlands for wheat production. Singida, Manyara, Arusha, Rukwa, Dodoma, Morogoro and Songwe for sunflower production. As well as Shinyanga, Mwanza, Simiyu and Geita in the lake zone corridor for rice production.

The estimated total number of direct beneficiaries is 1,200,000 smallholder households corresponding to 4,800,000 persons, where 40 percent are women and youths. More than 1,000 small and medium-scale seed producers and agro-dealers will also benefit from the project and the project will create job opportunities to the 10,000 young women and men in the wheat, sunflower, rice and fertilizer value chains.

Upon the completion of the project, it is expected to achieve further improved production and productivity of wheat, sunflower and rice as well as strengthened food value chain.

The project is co-financed by African Development Bank.

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For more information please contact:
Ms. Murao Akari and Ms. Veronica Balua
JICA Tanzania Office, P.O. Box 9450, Dar es Salaam
Tel: 022-211327/30 Fax: 022-2112976
Mobile: 0787298022/ 0682216080
Email: Murao.Akari@jica.go.jp / BaluaVeronica.TZ@jica.go.jp