Dar es Salaam, October 16-17, 2024 – Director of ATO Tanzania, Elizabeth Missokia, recently participated in the Poultry Futures Forum 2024, a key gathering focusing on advancing poultry farming in Africa, particularly across the SADC region. The event provided a platform for stakeholders to discuss challenges and innovative solutions to drive growth within the poultry sector, aligning with the goals of the Agricultural Master Plan (AMP).
At the Leadership Forum and Public-Private Dialogue session, Elizabeth joined a panel to address critical challenges facing poultry farming, such as:
• Policy and Regulatory Barriers: Many African countries face unique policy challenges that affect the poultry sector. Establishing a favorable regulatory environment is essential for growth and investment.
• Financing and Youth & Women Participation: Access to financing remains a challenge, especially for youth and women, who are essential contributors to the sector.
• Feed and Value Addition: The availability of affordable, quality feed—particularly maize and soybeans—is crucial for sustainable poultry production.
• Market Development: Enhancing market linkages and expanding the poultry value chain are essential steps in promoting regional trade and sector growth.
Elizabeth reaffirmed ATO Tanzania’s commitment to supporting the AMP initiatives, which include several flagship projects designed to unlock potential within the poultry sector.
- Scaling upstream and downstream market linkages for smallholders through SME development.
- Increasing the production of maize, a main poultry feed source, to boost supply.
- Addressing regulatory challenges to promote the commercialization of wheat, soybeans, poultry, and aquaculture.
- Expanding cold chain facilities at airports and seaports to support increased exports and enhance processing.
- Digitalizing farmer registration to improve support across the agriculture ecosystem.
- Extending digitalized farmer support services to improve outreach.
- Increasing access to finance through risk-sharing mechanisms.
- Strengthening food security with strategic feed and food reserves.
Key Takeaways
The discussions highlighted the importance of formalizing the poultry sector through a dedicated strategy, improving marketing and trade channels, increasing the production of essential feed crops, and expanding support for hatcheries focused on indigenous poultry species. The need for enhanced data management, monitoring, and evaluation to support informed decision-making was also underscored.
The forum reinforced the value of public-private collaboration, especially in sharing technical expertise, expanding trade within Africa, and strengthening partnerships. As Elizabeth committed, ATO Tanzania will continue to follow up on these discussions, working closely with stakeholders to ensure effective AMP implementation.
About the Agricultural Master Plan (AMP)
The AMP serves as a 25-year roadmap to guide agricultural growth, addressing sector-specific challenges and unlocking opportunities for smallholders, SMEs, and the private sector. By aligning initiatives under the AMP, ATO Tanzania aims to create a resilient and inclusive agricultural system that drives economic growth and improves livelihoods.
