DEPUTY Minister for Agriculture, Mr David Silinde has said that the government has adopted various measures to expand the use of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), to enhance productivity in the agriculture sector.
Mr Silinde made the remarks during a working session at the Conference on Mobilising the Private Sector for Sustainable Trade and Investment in the Food Sector in Africa, held in Nairobi, Kenya.
The conference brought together retired leaders, Ministers of Agriculture from across Africa and Romania as well as investors from European Union (EU).
He noted that the successful implementation of the systems for farmer registration, input subsidy management, and Agricultural data collection has significantly improved efficiency and service delivery in the sector.
The Deputy Minister said that the use of artificial intelligence enables the government to forecast production trends, predict market demand and generate traderelated information, allowing farmers to plan more effectively for both production and marketing.
According to a statement released yesterday in Dodoma by the Ministry of Agriculture, the event was jointly organised by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Government of Kenya.
Mr Silinde further said that AI supports the integration of agricultural production data with weather information from the Tanzania Meteorological Authority (TMA), making it possible to develop early warning systems for droughts and floods. He said this improves farmers’ resilience and strengthens agricultural planning.
He also highlighted the development of digital permit-issuing systems within the agriculture sector, which have simplified trade processes for agricultural produce for both domestic and international stakeholders.
The conference was officially opened by Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, Mr William Kabogo. Participants included ministers of agriculture from African countries and Romania, and investors from the European Union (EU).
Mr Silinde also participated in a panel discussion on the use of artificial intelligence and digital technologies to address climate change and water-related challenges in Africa’s agriculture and food sector.