The private sector has been encouraged to participate in procurement of cereals from farmers on behalf of the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA), it was announced in Dar es Salaam.
Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Co-operatives Spokesman, Mr Richard Kasuga, said NFRA cannot afford to buy all crops from farmers this season. “The door is wide open for the private sector to participate in procurement of food and other crops.
“This season a lot of food crops have been harvested in various parts of the country. Individuals and private firms should help farmers by buying the crops,” Mr Kasuga told a news conference on Tuesday.
NFRA, he said, has begun buying 200,000 tonnes of cereals, mostly in villages and sending it to urban centres with food deficit to ensure availability throughout the country during the 2013/2014 season. Statistics show that 19 out of 25 regions in the country had satisfactory harvests this season.
NFRA Director General Mr Charles Walwa said the agency started purchasing food at its seven zones, which are Kipawa, Shinyanga, Arusha, Dodoma, Makambako, Songea and Sumbawanga. He said cereals being bought included maize and sourghum.
By GLADNESS GEOFREY and JANETH MTUI, Tanzania Daily News
