Preliminary results for Tanzania presented at the Agricultural Sector Consultative Group
The ASCG is the technical committee for the Agricultural sector Development Program (ASDP) and one of the policy fora where MAFAP results are expected to be used for evidence-based policy dialogue. The meeting was attended by representatives of Agricultural Sector Line Ministries (Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives, Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development, Ministry of Trade and Industry) and Development Partners.
Following an overview of the MAFAP activities in Tanzania made by Dr. Emmanuel Achayo (Director of Policy and Planning at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives), members of the local team (Festo Maro, Ntemi Nkonya and Solomon Bageru) and of the MAFAP Secretariat (Jesús Barreiro-Hurlé and Joanna Ilicic-Komorowska) presented the analysis of price incentives and disincentives for eight commodities (Beans, Coffee, Cotton, Maize, Milk, Rice, Sugar and Wheat) and public expenditure for the 2006-2011 period. It generated great interest and a lively discussion both with the MAFAP team and among local stakeholders. As a follow up, the MAFAP team was requested to make additional presentations at the Irish Embassy and the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
What next? By the end of 2012, two additional commodities will be analyzed (livestock and cashew nuts) reaching a total number of ten commodities. In addition, the work on the agricultural policy review and the country specific topic (the impact of export bans as captured by the MAFAP analysis) will be finalized. This will allow the MAFAP team to start drafting the country report in January 2013 with the objective of having a first draft before the end of the month and ready for the MAFAP Donor Meeting foreseen for early February 2013.
Additional information: Presentations made at the ASCG:
1. Overview
2. Results of Price Incentives and Disincentives analysis
3. Results of Public Expenditure analysis
4. Pending activities
- On March 20th Dr. Lunogelo and Dr. Maro from ESRF made a presentation on the objectives, methodology and expected outputs of MAFAP to the Agricultural Sector Development Program Working Group (ASDPWG) during its spring meeting in Dar es Salaam.
Members of the ASDPWG showed great interest on the outputs of MAFAP and were eager to be briefed on the project’s results in the Autumn meeting to assess current projects and policies.
The ASDP WG has been jointly selected by the MAFAP Secretariat and the Ministry of Agriculture Food Security (MAFSC) as the policy forum where MAFAP outputs will be used to inform policy dialogue and decision making.
- Data collection for the price incentives and disincentives for the selected commodities is ongoing. First results are expected during the first quarter of 2012.
- An initial classification using the MAFAP approach of public expenditure by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives and of a local government authority has been done. This is currently being revised prior to extending the analysis to other ministries and regions.
- Dates for the 2012 meetings of body where the policy dialogue based on MAFAP outputs will take place (Agricultural Sector Consultative Working Group) have yet to be fixed.