AGRICULTURE institutions and stakeholders in development of technologies have been challenged to speed up innovation and ensure new tools being developed reach farmers across the country.

This will help transform Tanzania’s agriculture landscape and heighten the level of production and productivity and enable the country to attain food security.

The call was made here yesterday by Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Mussa Hassan Zungu in his remarks to officiate the 3rd edition of Tanzania Agriculture Stakeholders Learning Event (TASLE) which convened in Dodoma for two consecutive days.

Held under the theme 'Commercialising Innovation for Sustainable Food Systems' the annual gathering organised by Agricultural Markets Development Trust (AMDT) seeks to spur use of modern technologies by the farmers in the country.

"There's nothing more crucial in any nation than food security; you may have a strong army but it is imperative to note that there's no life without food," he said.

He said the government has kept on increasing the budget towards agriculture research, saying the relevant institutions and experts must use the resources to bring about transformation in the sector.

He said that the budget for the sector currently stands at 1.2trn/-, the amount which he said must be spent patriotically in order to get the needed value for money.

On the use of agro technologies, he spoke of the need for farmers in the country to start adopting the use of simple technologies to process produce within their farms instead of relying on giant factories.

"For instance, it is irking to see the poor manner in which the majority of the youth sell pieces of pilled sugarcane pieces along the streets while farmers can possibly purchase mini-sugar mills and produce sugar in their own farms," he said.

He underscored the need for more youth and women in the country to venture into the sector and desist from the white-collar job syndrome.

"Investing in women and youth is the current vision of nearly all countries around the globe and Tanzania is no exception," he said.

AMDT Chief Executive Officer Charles Ogutu said the forum was meant to ensure that numerous agricultural technologies being invented reach farmers on time.

“We will continue to stage this gathering annually in order to motivate and stimulate more innovations in the sector to ensure farmers benefit from the same,” he said.

AMDT is a Tanzanian-owned trust established to support better coordination between value chain development initiatives, improve understanding of agricultural market systems, improve productivity and market access for micro, small and medium enterprises, maximise the impact of programmes and effectively contribute to reducing poverty in Tanzania.