MWE Correspondent
Farmers in Tanzania have been encouraged to embrace date palm cultivation as a drought-tolerant crop that can help communities adapt to the effects of climate change while increasing household incomes and improving livelihoods.
The call was made by Deputy Minister for Agriculture, David Silinde, during a ceremony to hand over equipment and resources supporting date palm cultivation under the “Emergency and Resilience Building Support for Smallholder Farmers Affected by Drought through Exploratory Date Palm Cultivation in Tanzania” project.
The event was held on September 15, 2026, at the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) Central Laboratory in Dodoma.
Silinde said the government would ensure that the equipment and resources provided through the project are fully utilised to expand date palm production and reach more smallholder farmers across the country.
“The Ministry of Agriculture will continue to ensure that the equipment and resources handed over, including a tractor, irrigation systems and laboratory equipment, are fully utilised so that more farmers can access date palm seedlings and training on how to cultivate the crop in Tanzania,” Silinde said.
The project is supported by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), which has provided funding worth US$978,000.
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KSrelief has also coordinated and provided technical assistance in collaboration with TARI to conduct research and implement activities under the project.
Speaking at the event, Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Tanzania, Yahya Okeish, said the initiative further strengthens the longstanding relationship between Tanzania and Saudi Arabia in agriculture, food security and community development.
The project has also received support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). FAO Representative in Tanzania, Dr Nyabenyi Tipo, said the organisation has contributed US$234,000 through its Technical Cooperation Programme.
According to Tipo, the project will also help transfer experience and knowledge in date palm farming from the Middle East and North Africa and adapt that knowledge to Tanzania’s agricultural conditions.
TARI Director General Dr Thomas Bwana said research conducted under the project had established that soils in Dodoma are suitable for date palm cultivation.
He revealed that approximately 3,700 initial seedlings have already started being distributed to farmers.
TARI, he added, will continue producing additional seedlings through the project to ensure that farmers have adequate planting materials to expand date palm cultivation.
The initiative comes as Tanzania continues to explore agricultural practices and crops capable of withstanding increasingly challenging climatic conditions, particularly in drought-prone areas.
The date palm project forms part of broader cooperation between Tanzania and Saudi Arabia in agriculture, food security and community development.
Through KSrelief, Saudi Arabia has supported the initiative with financial and technical resources aimed at helping drought-affected smallholder farmers develop a crop capable of performing under relatively dry conditions.
The involvement of FAO and TARI also places research and technology transfer at the centre of the programme, with lessons from established date-producing regions being assessed and adapted to Tanzania.
The early distribution of 3,700 seedlings in Dodoma provides the basis for expanding the crop among smallholder farmers, while continued research and seedling production are expected to determine how widely date palm cultivation can be developed in other suitable areas of the country.
