Mbarali MP presses government to secure farmland for smallholder farmers
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Mbarali legislator Bahati Ndingo says seasonal farm rentals are eroding smallholder earnings, prompting commitments from the Vice-President and Agriculture Minister to find a lasting land-access solution.
Mbarali MP Bahati Ndingo has urged the government to find a lasting solution to land access challenges facing smallholder farmers, saying the high cost of renting farms is eroding their earnings and affecting household livelihoods, The Respondent reported on 17 October.
Ndingo said many farmers in the district lacked permanent farmland and were forced to rent plots every farming season, leaving them with lower returns from their agricultural activities. She made the appeal during a ceremony in Rujewa, Mbeya Region, where Vice-President Deogratius Ndejembi laid the foundation stone for the 28 Towns Water Project.
The MP said securing access to permanent farming land would ease the financial burden on smallholder farmers, improve productivity and enable them to benefit more from their work.
Responding, the Vice-President said the government recognised the challenges facing farmers and the importance of creating a favourable environment for agricultural production, and that it was committed to finding a lasting solution that would allow farmers to access land for cultivation rather than depend on seasonal rentals.
Agriculture Minister Daniel Chongolo said the government had begun implementing directives issued by President Samia Suluhu Hassan to address the challenge. He said initial measures were under way, but warned that some individuals were seeking to exploit the process for personal gain, adding that the government would ensure fairness and safeguard the interests of citizens who qualified for access to the farming land.