How new crop insurance will change farmers' fortunes

Dar es Salaam. Three companies have entered into partnership through which they will provide crop insurance.

This comes at a time when Tanzania Insurance Regulatory Authority (Tira) data shows that drought-related economic losses currently stand at $140 million (about Sh320 billion) annually.

Fertiliser manufacturer Yara Tanzania, Jubilee Insurance and Equity Bank Tanzania have partnered to offer crop insurance coverage and help farmers to mitigate the impact of climate change.

The new initiative is a shot in the arm for agriculture, which is currently virtually uninsured in Tanzania.

Tira’s market performance report indicates that agricultural insurance sales were Sh1.3 billion in 2021, equivalent to just 0.17 percent of all general insurance sales.

Addressing the media in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Yara Tanzania managing director Winstone Odhiambo said the new initiative would play a key role in making farming in Tanzania more stable and profitable.

“Offering crop insurance in the country is a huge milestone for us as we seek to empower hard-working farmers and secure livelihoods and food security,” he said.

He added that farmers would now be able to access insurance coverage through the AfricaConnect digital platform, which is a one-stop solution offering access to funding, high quality fertiliser, extension services and a readily available market for their produce.

Mr Odhiambo said the platform, which was launched in 2022 to cater for rice growers and has since enrolled about 83,000 farmers, would now incorporate more crops, making them qualify for insurance coverage.

“We are happy to announce today that in addition to rice growers, Africaconnect will in 2023 also enlist maize, coffee, potato and sunflower growers. We urge all eligible farmers to enrol and benefit from the wide variety of services on offer.”

Jubilee Insurance is the latest partner to join the initiative that provides tailor-made solutions aimed at increasing farmers’ productivity. Other Africaconnect partners are Equity Bank, Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Seed Agency (ASA) and Murzah Wilmar Rice Millers Limited.

Jubilee Allianz General Insurance Company chief executive and director Dipankar Acharya said the firm was pleased to help shield farmers from losses occasioned by natural calamities by offering them crop insurance and better management of the risk exposures they were facing.

“We anticipate that farmers will now go about their activities with greater confidence as a result of this,” he said.

Equity Bank Tanzania managing director Isabela Maganga said since the launch of the digital platform in 2022, the bank has been issuing loans for farming inputs on a collateral-free basis.

The lender issued Sh14 billion in loans to about 4,600 farmers through Africaconnect in Kilimanjaro, Tanga, Morogoro, Arusha, Manyara and Iringa regions in 2022.

“We look forward to serving more farmers this year as Yara extends the service to cover more crops,” Ms Maganga said.

Agriculture comprises about 30 percent of Equity Bank Tanzania’s loan portfolio.

Yara digital solutions manager for Tanzania and Rwanda Deodath Mtei said the company believed that connecting farmers with key stakeholders would boost returns and productivity.

“Farmers linked with AfricaConnect farmers enjoy value that is only available through the platform. This includes expert knowledge, inputs and markets,” he said.

The platform will target over 300,000 farmers in 2023 with its unique partnership that provides a one-stop solution to farmers’ critical needs.

Original Media Source

Share this news

This Year's Most Read News Stories

Tanzania Confirms Outbreak of Marburg Virus Disease

Tanzania Foreign Investment News

Tanzania Confirms Outbreak of Marburg Virus Disease

Dodoma — Tanzania today confirmed an outbreak of Marburg virus disease in the northwestern Kagera region after one case tested positive for the virus following investigations and laboratory analysis of suspected cases of the disease.

President of the Republic of Tanzania, Her Excellency Samia Suluhu Hassan, made the announcement during a press briefing alongside World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in the country’s administrative capital Dodoma.

“Laboratory tests conducted in Kabaile Mobile Laboratory in Kagera and later confirmed in Dar es Salaam identified one patient as being infected with the Marburg virus. Fortunately, the remaining suspected patients tested negative,” the president said. “We have demonstrated in the past our ability to contain a similar outbreak and are determined to do the same this time around.”

A total of 25 suspected cases have been reported as of 20 January 2025, all of whom have tested negative and are currently under close follow-up, the president said. The cases have been reported in Biharamulo and Muleba districts in Kagera.

“We have resolved to reassure the general public in Tanzania and the international community as a whole of our collective determination to address the global health challenges, including the Marburg virus disease,” said H.E President Hassan.

WHO is supporting Tanzanian health authorities to enhance key outbreak control measures including disease surveillance, testing, treatment, infection prevention and control, case management, as well as increasing public awareness among communities to prevent further spread of the virus.

“WHO, working with its partners, is committed to supporting the government of Tanzania to bring the outbreak under control as soon as possible, and to build a healthier, safer, fairer future for all the people of Tanzania,” said Dr Tedros. “Now is a time for collaboration, and commitment, to protecting the health of all people in Tanzania, and the region, from the risks posed by this disease.”

Marburg virus disease is highly virulent and causes haemorrhagic fever. It belongs to the same family as the virus that causes Ebola virus disease. Illness caused by Marburg virus begins abruptly. Patients present with high fever, severe headache and severe malaise. They may develop severe haemorrhagic symptoms within seven days.

“The declaration by the president and the measures being taken by the government are crucial in addressing the threat of this disease at the local and national levels as well as preventing potential cross-border spread,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “Our priority is to support the government to rapidly scale up measures to effectively respond to this outbreak and safeguard the health of the population,”

Tanzania previously reported an outbreak of Marburg in March 2023 – the country’s first – in Kagera region, in which a total of nine cases (eight confirmed and one probable) and six deaths were reported, with a case fatality ratio of 67%.

In the African region, previous outbreaks and sporadic cases have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.

Marburg virus is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, surfaces and materials. Although several promising candidate medical countermeasures are currently undergoing clinical trials, there is no licensed treatment or vaccine for effective management or prevention of Marburg virus disease. However, early access to treatment and supportive care – rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids – and treatment of specific symptoms, improve survival.

Source: allafrica.com

January 20, 2025