Fertiliser subsidy boosting agriculture in Tanzania

Tanzania fertiliser subsidy programme a big boost for the agriculture sector.
Youth urged to invest in agriculture, to earn a living, check joblessness and cultivate food security.

Tanzania’s fertiliser subsidy programme is evolving into a vital cog in driving the country’s quest for agricultural transformation and national development. Widely lauded by stakeholders, the initiative is being credited with unlocking new potential in the sector — improving access to inputs, boosting productivity, and laying the foundation for long-term food security.

A recent nationwide survey by the Tanzania Fertiliser Regulatory Authority (TFRA) underscores the programme’s growing impact. The assessment, which gathered feedback from fertiliser manufacturers, investors, partners, and end-users, aimed to evaluate how well the subsidy scheme is aligning with market needs and delivering sustainable value across the agricultural value chain.

Launched under the leadership of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, the Fertiliser Subsidy Programme is a flagship intervention by Tanzania’s sixth-phase government. It is designed to address deep-rooted challenges — from limited access to quality fertilisers and poor soil health management to systemic inefficiencies in input distribution — all with the goal of reigniting the country’s agricultural engine.

“The programme aims to improve the availability, quality and usage of fertilisers nationwide, alongside promoting sound soil health practices to build a more resilient and dynamic fertiliser sector,” the report explains.

According to the TFRA, it is by enhancing regulatory frameworks, improving infrastructure and fostering partnerships across the fertiliser value chain, that the government hopes to create an enabling environment where fertiliser use drives sustainable agricultural growth.

According to the TFRA survey, ETG, which among other sectors deals in agricultural inputs has commended the fertiliser subsidy scheme and admitted that “…the fertiliser subsidy programme has significantly improved fertiliser availability, accessibility, usage and financing.”

ETG also commends Tanzania for its efforts to strengthen fertiliser information systems, create a better business environment, increase private sector capacity, enhance institutional regulatory frameworks and improve quality assurance services in agriculture.

“Fertiliser is now available at affordable prices compared to market rates. This has increased farmers’ purchasing power, allowing them to access inputs when needed,” the TFRA report attests.

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Fertiliser subsidy programme: How payments are approved

To support the fertiliser subsidy initiative, the Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank (TADB) has played a pivotal role in facilitating fertiliser procurement by approving payments for services rendered.

Thanks to backing from the TADB, ETG has distributed 300,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser worth millions of dollars to farmers across the country. “We plan to expand the number of sales centres in the upcoming farming season and strengthen cooperation with agro-dealers through the Last Mile Delivery system,” ETG reports.

Sharing his views, the Minjingu Mines and Fertiliser Company Executive Director, Hans Tosky, commended the government for the fertiliser subsidy programme, which he said has significantly boosted fertiliser access and use.

Notably, Minjingu is Tanzania’s second-largest fertiliser manufacturer and following the fertiliser subsidy launch, it has increased production capacity to meet growing local demand.

“Our fertilisers are now well recognised by farmers and we have gained a competitive edge over imported products,” Tosky revealed.

Sharing similar sentiments, the Tanzania Fertiliser Company (TFC) has also praised the fertiliser subsidy programme for ‘stabilising prices and increasing fertiliser use by farmers.’

“The programme has ensured timely fertiliser availability, boosted production, facilitated farmer identification and reduced fertiliser smuggling to neighbouring countries,” TFC said in a press release.

Fertiliser subsidy: EAC launches Sustainable Regional Agricultural Extension

Following the fertiliser subsidy launch, the Tanznaia Minister for Agriculture Hussein Bashe, says that the government has so far distributed approximately 1.45 million metric tonnes of fertiliser to farmers nationwide.

As Tanzania pushes its fertiliser subsidy programme, the East African Community has launched a three-year Sustainable Regional Agricultural Extension (ENSURE) Project, with a total budget of 12 .5 million US dollars aimed at enhancing agricultural productivity and sustainability across the region.

The project is funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and is expected to increase the longterm sustainability of agriculture in the region by increasing access to robust extension services and farming inputs, in particular , access tof ertiiser.

According to a press release from the AfDB, ensure “…Will focus on three key areas of intervention, to create an enabling environment for regional harmonised extension and inputs policies, to deploy a regional pluralistic extension approach (public, private NGOs) and to establish a regional extension capacity building programme targeting trans-boundary pests and diseases especially fall armyworm and desert locusts.”

“The ENSURE project is expected to benefit over five million people (direct and indirect) across the region through improvements in agriculture extension systems with at least 50 per cent women as beneficiaries and create at least one million jobs (50 per cent women), across the region through selected bundled extension packages with the existing pluralistic extension approaches in the region,” the AfDB says in teh statement.

Speaking during the launch of the project, the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Infrastructure, Productive, Social and Political Sectors, Mr. Andrea Malueth, said; “The project has come at a pivotal moment as the EAC aims to transform its agricultural sector through various initiatives, including the Agricultural Inputs System Development Programme and the EAC Regional Agriculture Investment Plan (RAIP).”

He said the project plays a vital role in promoting a regional approach to strengthening agricultural extension, enhancing the role of extension in transforming agriculture, facilitating farmers access to advice and information and supporting the adoption of climate-smart technologies and building the resilience of farming communities.

“I ask everyone to concentrate on how our efforts will contribute to the project’s broader goals, while also emphasising value for money. Our citizens are the true stakeholders in this process and it is our responsibility to ensure that the outcomes of this project lead to meaningful improvements in the agricultural sector of the partner states,” he said.

On his part, the AfDB Chief Agricultural Technologies Officer – Agricultural Research, Production and Sustainability, Dr. Innocent Musyabimana, underscored the importance of investment in agriculture in fostering regional development.

“The African Development Bank is committed to financing projects that enhance agricultural resilience and productivity. We are proud to support the ENSURE Project, as it aligns with our mission to improve food security and reduce poverty across the continent,” he said.

Dr. Musyabimana said the project will help address challenges faced by farmers in the region including limited access to extension services and training, limited access to new climate-smart technologies and inputs and limited knowledge and skills to use these inputs effectively.

“With the use of digital extension technologies (internet, podcasts, videos, social media platforms), the project will seek to bridge the gap in access to extension information between men, women and youths by promoting more equitable access among these different beneficiaries,” he said.

In summing up, he said the three-year project will help advance agricultural innovations that will attract youth to agricultural activities as well as reduce the workload for women and boost their productivity and raise their income.re via Email
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