Habari
NIRC YATANGAZA NEEMA KWA WAKULIMA NANE NANE
📍NIRC: Dodoma.
The Government, through the National Irrigation Commission (NIRC), is proceeding with the implementation of a major strategy to strengthen irrigation agriculture in the country by launching over 30 new projects in the 2026/27 financial year, while expecting to employ thousands of youth through borehole drilling and the management of irrigation infrastructure.
It also aims to increase crop production and achieve the agricultural sector's goal of contributing to national economic growth.
Speaking to journalists at the Nanenane Exhibitions held at the Dr. John Malecela Grounds, the Director General of the National Irrigation Commission, Mr. Raymond Mndolwa, stated that over a few years of executing its mandates, the Commission has successfully engaged 146 contractors who are executing various irrigation projects, with 634 projects currently in the design stage.
He stated that the objective is to ensure farmers have the capacity to produce productively and cease their reliance on rainfall.
"The Commission expects to commence a major exercise of distributing water pumps across seven regions in the country, with the exercise officially beginning in the Katavi region on the 11th," he said.
Under this initiative, a total of 1,000 standard pumps (surface pumps) will be provided to assist vegetable and fruit farmers in easily extracting water from rivers and valleys, an undertaking that will be conducted in a safe and environmentally friendly manner.
Alongside this, over 1,000 modern solar-powered pumps (solar pumps) have been specially procured for avocado farmers.
"These farmers often face the challenge of steep inclines and valleys that obstruct standard irrigation systems, thus these pumps serve as their primary savior," he noted.
He added, "Even better news goes out to the local youth, as the Commission has designed a massive borehole drilling project aimed at employing between 2,000 and 4,000 young people over the next three years," he emphasized.
He stated that the plan will involve organizing youth with technical and engineering skills into groups across all 184 district councils nationwide.
Furthermore, the Commission will empower these youth to manage these projects and install borehole infrastructure in their respective areas, rather than waiting for external hires.
To date, 415 boreholes have already been drilled, with the primary target being to drill 67,000 boreholes over the next eight years.
Elaborating further on ongoing activities, Director Mndolwa stated that the Commission has successfully overseen 146 contracts for the construction of irrigation infrastructure, where contractors are currently on site.
Over 634 projects are in the design stage, and in the 2026/2027 financial year, 30 new projects are expected to be launched.
