TANZANIA Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) has signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding with the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Science (CATAS) to enhance research capacity in nine areas

TARI Director General Dr Thomas Bwana and CATAS Director General Huang Zhengen put pen to paper in a ceremony witnessed by Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Dr Hussein Omar.

Speaking after the signing ceremony in Coast Region on Thursday, Bwana said that the MoU aims to widen the capacity of TARI to do more research after the first one signed in 2019.

Dr Bwana said that the partnership will enhance the capacity of TARI in areas such as exchanging research information of crops such as cassava and sugarcane and sisal.

He said other areas are human capacity development, infrastructure development, exchange of research information, value addition, agricultural laboratory, seed production and research in crops such as cotton, coffee and cassava.

Dr Bwana said that China is advanced in cassava research, including markets, value addition technology and factories, adding that the agreement will help the country to achieve its goal of contributing more through the agriculture sector.

“It is our hope that the collaboration will increase the capacity of TARI to provide solutions to challenges farmers encounter,” he said.

Vice Government, People’s Government of Hainan Province, Gu Gang, said that the collaboration will add more value to TARI capacity in all matters related to research in sugarcane, cassava and sisals.

Gang expressed his government’s commitment to supporting institutes like CATAS to support Tanzania’s agriculture sector.

In his remarks, Dr Omar said that the government target is to increase growth of the agriculture sector from the current 4 to 10 percent by 2030.

Dr Omar said that the collaboration was an opportunity for TARI to ensure that agriculture is truly the backbone of the country’s economy by contributing more to the nation's income.

He said the signing of MoU shows a shared commitment between Tanzania and China to develop the agriculture sector.

TARI was established by the Parliamentary Act No. 10 of 2016 to enhance and strengthen the agricultural research system in Tanzania. It is a semi-autonomous body under the Ministry of Agriculture, responsible for all agricultural research activities conducted by the National Agricultural Research System (NARS).