Local rice production to double

24 April 2010, Tanzania Daily News
URL: http://www.dailynews.co.tz/home/?n=9320&cat=home

Dar es Salaam: The initiative to scale up agricultural irrigation, under which Tanzania targets to boost annual rice production from the current 800,000 to two million tonnes by 2018, is behind schedule, two years since it was set.

The ambitious programme under the Japanese Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) is therefore expected to occupy the key focus during the second TICAD IV ministerial follow up talks in Arusha next month.

The Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV) latest progress report has shown that irrigation, one of the major targets under ODA, remains below target.

The two-day conference will review and assess the progress status of implementation of the Yokohama Action Plan issued at TICAD IV two years ago.

Besides conveying a Japanese message on strengthening assistance to Africa, TICAD IV will also review Africa's efforts to recover from the impact of the global financial and economic crisis, achieving Millenium Development Goals and addressing Climate Change.

The conference comes amid TICAD's latest progress report, noting that overall progress of the second year of implementation of the Yokohama Action Plan has been significant in trade, investment and tourism although tangible results are yet to be seen.

The Arusha conference will be the second TICAD Ministerial follow up meeting where leaders including President Jakaya Kikwete and the Minister for Finance and Economic Affairs, Mr Mustafa Mkulo will be in attendance.

The president will use the opportunity to send strong message on the continent's development to the G8 Summit, G20 Summit, the MDGs,UN Summit, COP 10 and 16 to be held in the near future.

At the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV) held in Yokohama in May, 2008 - Japan committed to double its ODA to $1.8bn, targeting sectors such as infrastructure, renewable energy, private sector, transport infrastructure and electricity.

Progress updates show that further progress is needed to attain the target for development and rehabilitation of 100,000ha irrigation facilities.

Briefing the media in Dar es Salaam yesterday, the Japan Ambassador to Tanzania, Mr Horishi Nakagawa said ODA's soft loan of up to $4bn in five years to Africa would target mainly infrastructure and agriculture, under which it will see rice production doubling in Tanzania by 2018.

A grouping of 12 countries on the continent under Coalition for Africa Rice Development is pushing for the rice initiative, in which Japan is lending African countries at an annual interest rate of 0.01 per cent to be paid back in 35 years.

The conference, to be opened by President Jakaya Kikwete and co-chaired by Japan's foreign affairs minister Katsuya Okasa, is expected to further focus on their earlier declaration that growth of the agricultural sector in Africa and rural reform measures are vital for economic growth and food security and would contribute to poverty reduction.

Launched in 1993, TICAD IV aims at promoting high level policy dialogue between Africa leaders and development partners under the dual principle of African 'ownership' and international 'partnership,' with a central feature of co-operation between Africa and Asia.

The four pillars of TICAD IV include boosting economic growth, achieving MDGs, consolidate peace and good governance and addressing environmental and climate change issues while ensuring human security.

Some other commitments Japan has made to Africa and expected to be reviewed are provision of $100m in emergency food aid, contributing $560m to the Global Fund to fight aids, tuberculosis and malaria with approximately 60 per cent of the contribution directed towards sub Saharan Africa and measures against climate change which is approximately $10bn in five years.

Others are providing support for doubling Japan's private direct investment in Africa, Support doubling direct investment up to 3.4bn by 2012 and the JBIC loan commitment up to $2.5bn over the next five years.

The Arusha conference is co-organized by the UN, UNDP, Word Bank and the Tanzania government with participants from 50 African countries at ministerial level, donor countries and Asian countries, representatives from regional and international organizations.

Civil society and the private sector will also attend.