TANZANIA Agriculture Research Institute (TARI) has allocated 8bn/- in 2023/2024 financial year to build irrigation infrastructures in its 17 research centres that will help in conducting research trials throughout the year.
The area that will be used to build the infrastructure is approximately 854 hectares owned by the TARI centres.
"So far the construction has started in the sense that a contractor has been obtained and contracts signed in the last fiscal year," the TARI Director General, Dr Geofrey Mkamilo told the 'Daily News' over the weekend.
He said the contractor already started designing and is currently excavating dams and building water tanks including continuing the design work at all stations.
Dr Mkamilo said that the project is for three years which will be completed in 2025/2026 and start working.
"Our goal is to do a seed research trial as well as seed production throughout a year.
"Set up of trial research is done during the rainy season, for example in the Dodoma Region we conduct a research trial from December to March, so you will see that it is only four months of the year that we conduct a research trial," Dr Mkamilo stressed.
He said the contractor is doing design and build where in the fiscal year 2022/2023 they allocated 17bn/- and this year they have allocated 8bn/- to develop the project.
Dr Mkamilo said that as the institution's role is to regulate, conduct, manage, promote and coordinate all agricultural research activities in the country, therefore through the irrigation infrastructure it will increase productivity in agriculture.
He mentioned the stations where the irrigation infrastructure is being built as TARI located in Makutupora Dodoma, Mlingano Tanga, Tengeru Arusha, Ukiliguru Mwanza, Tumbi Tabora, Selian Arusha and Uyole Mbeya.
Others are Maruku Bukoba, Kifyulilo Iringa, Naliendele Mtwara, Kibaha Pwani, Mikocheni Dar es Salaam, Dakawa - Mvomero, Ifakara Kilombero, Ilonga Morogoro and Hombolo Dodoma and Kihinga Kigoma.
TARI aims at strengthening the national agricultural research system to enhance development and dissemination of Technologies, Innovations and Management Practices (TIMPs) to address the real needs of farmers and other agricultural stakeholders.
