The Government of Tanzania is accelerating vital investments aimed at improving the performance of the country’s dairy sector by boosting livestock productivity, climate resilience, and environmental conservation.
The vision, among others, is to transform the entire value chain in the dairy sector by improving performance and livelihoods of smallholder dairy farmers in rural areas across both Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar.
Under this strategy, the government is working to improve incomes, climate resilience, and nutrition among smallholder dairy producers, as well as their participation in a competitive and safe value chain.
To this effect, the government has introduced a USD 174.3-million Climate-Smart Dairy Transformation Project (C-SDTP), which seeks, among other objectives, to address the persistent shortage of quality pasture seeds in Tanzania.
The project is being supported by several development partners, including the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Heifer International, Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the OPEC Fund, the Green Climate Fund (GCF), and the Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank (TADB), among others.
Its implementation covers ten regions and at least 28 districts. Beneficiary regions on Mainland Tanzania include Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Coast, Morogoro, Tanga, Iringa, Njombe, and Mbeya, while Unguja and Pemba will benefit on the Zanzibar side.
Breeding and genetic improvement, enhancing the availability of water for livestock, and scaling up the digitalisation of improved productivity stand among the key activities that the project will undertake.
Other activities will focus on supporting annual disease surveillance, vaccination campaigns, a contingency fund, and the establishment and strengthening of animal health laboratory infrastructure.
To ensure that the project is implemented to the required standards, the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries has handed over key implements.
These include six Toyota Hilux Double Cabin vehicles, 23 motorcycles, as well as extension services equipment.
Speaking during a brief handover ceremony held in Dodoma on October 2, 2026, the Minister of Livestock and Fisheries, Ambassador Dr Bashiru Ally Kakurwa, emphasised the need for responsible and proper use of the facilities.
“I urge all leaders in the project areas, from the regional, district, ward and village levels in the regions implementing this project, to carefully manage these resources to ensure that they benefit the project’s intended beneficiaries, including the 140,000 livestock-keeping households,” said Ambassador Dr Bashiru.
For his part, speaking at the event, Zanzibar’s Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation, Natural Resources and Livestock, Mr Suleiman Masoud Makame, expressed his gratitude for receiving the equipment and emphasised the need to properly maintain them and ensure that they are effectively used to enhance productivity in Tanzania’s dairy industry.
Speaking earlier, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, Ms Agnes Meena, said the equipment would enhance the capacity of project implementers to provide appropriate and timely services to livestock keepers in the project areas, thereby increasing production and productivity in the dairy sector.
The project is expected to play a crucial role in strengthening Tanzania’s dairy sector by ensuring sustainable access to quality pasture seeds, improving livestock productivity, and supporting the country’s broader climate-smart agricultural development agenda.