Dodoma: Tanzania and Türkiye have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening strategic cooperation in agriculture, a move expected to support the country’s long-term development plans in the sector, which employs the majority of citizens.
The initiative aligns with Tanzania’s Agriculture Master Plan 2050 and Agenda 10/30, which aim to transform the sector into a productive and commercially viable industry achieving 10 per cent annual growth by 2030.
The discussions were held between Minister for Agriculture Daniel Chongolo and Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye, Bekir Gezer, on Monday in Dodoma.
The talks reinforced the longstanding ties between the two countries and identified key areas of cooperation, particularly irrigation infrastructure, mechanisation projects, cold storage facilities for post-harvest management, and technical support in capacity building.
During the meeting, Ambassador Gezer hailed economic diplomacy between the two countries, noting the growing presence of Turkish projects in Tanzania across sectors including health, education, fisheries, energy and trade.
He underscored the importance of agricultural collaboration in improving farmers’ welfare and contributing to the country’s overall development.
“Your timely visit demonstrates your country’s commitment towards renewing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance agricultural cooperation,” Minister Chongolo said.
He added that the two countries previously had an MoU covering the period from 2009 to 2014, commending the diplomat’s readiness to strengthen economic ties between the two sides.
Minister Chongolo further outlined investment opportunities where the two countries can collaborate, including enhancing agricultural productivity, promoting value addition, agribusiness and agro-processing.
The two also discussed the role of the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TİKA), with Ambassador Gezer encouraging the Tanzanian government to leverage TİKA projects for the benefit of farmers.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Permanent Secretary (Crops Development and Food Security) Prof Peter Msoffe, Director of Crop Development Dr Yasinta Nzogela, and Acting Director of Marketing and Food Security Ms Happy Pascal.
Others included the Ministry of Agriculture’s Head of Government Communication Unit, Ms Tagie Daisy, as well as representatives from the Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye in Tanzania and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation.
Trade volume between Tanzania and Türkiye increased fivefold over the past decade, reflecting growing diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries, according to a 2024 report.
Former Türkiye Ambassador to Tanzania, Dr Mehmet Gulluoglu, said in Dar es Salaam that trade volume rose from 60 million US dollars in the 2011/12 financial year (156.6bn/-) to 300 million US dollars (783bn/-) in the 2022/23 financial year.
He attributed the significant increase to rising Türkiye exports to Tanzania.
“Until last year, more than 900 Türkiye companies exported their products to Tanzania,” said Dr Gulluoglu during the Türkiye-Tanzania Trade Delegation and Business-to-Business (B2B) meeting.
He acknowledged the trade imbalance between the two countries, noting that it currently favours Türkiye, but expressed optimism that the existing diplomatic and economic ties would help address the gap.
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IARD in Dodoma
Tanzania and Türkiye have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening strategic cooperation in agriculture, a move expected to support the country’s long-term development plans in the sector, which employs the majority of citizens.
The initiative aligns with Tanzania’s Agriculture Master Plan 2050 and Agenda 10/30, which aim to transform the sector into a productive and commercially viable industry achieving 10 per cent annual growth by 2030.
The discussions were held between Minister for Agriculture Daniel Chongolo and Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye, Bekir Gezer, on Monday in Dodoma.
The talks reinforced the longstanding ties between the two countries and identified key areas of cooperation, particularly irrigation infrastructure, mechanisation projects, cold storage facilities for post-harvest management, and technical support in capacity building.
During the meeting, Ambassador Gezer hailed economic diplomacy between the two countries, noting the growing presence of Turkish projects in Tanzania across sectors including health, education, fisheries, energy and trade.
He underscored the importance of agricultural collaboration in improving farmers’ welfare and contributing to the country’s overall development.
“Your timely visit demonstrates your country’s commitment towards renewing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance agricultural cooperation,” Minister Chongolo said.
He added that the two countries previously had an MoU covering the period from 2009 to 2014, commending the diplomat’s readiness to strengthen economic ties between the two sides.
Minister Chongolo further outlined investment opportunities where the two countries can collaborate, including enhancing agricultural productivity, promoting value addition, agribusiness and agro-processing.
The two also discussed the role of the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TİKA), with Ambassador Gezer encouraging the Tanzanian government to leverage TİKA projects for the benefit of farmers.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Permanent Secretary (Crops Development and Food Security) Prof Peter Msoffe, Director of Crop Development Dr Yasinta Nzogela, and Acting Director of Marketing and Food Security Ms Happy Pascal.
Others included the Ministry of Agriculture’s Head of Government Communication Unit, Ms Tagie Daisy, as well as representatives from the Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye in Tanzania and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation.
Trade volume between Tanzania and Türkiye increased fivefold over the past decade, reflecting growing diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries, according to a 2024 report.
Former Türkiye Ambassador to Tanzania, Dr Mehmet Gulluoglu, said in Dar es Salaam that trade volume rose from 60 million US dollars in the 2011/12 financial year (156.6bn/-) to 300 million US dollars (783bn/-) in the 2022/23 financial year.
He attributed the significant increase to rising Türkiye exports to Tanzania.
“Until last year, more than 900 Türkiye companies exported their products to Tanzania,” said Dr Gulluoglu during the Türkiye-Tanzania Trade Delegation and Business-to-Business (B2B) meeting.
He acknowledged the trade imbalance between the two countries, noting that it currently favours Türkiye, but expressed optimism that the existing diplomatic and economic ties would help address the gap.