DAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania's National Irrigation Commission on Monday signed agreements with contractors for the development of 21 irrigation schemes worth 182 billion Tanzanian shillings (about 78 million U.S. dollars), covering 26,700 hectares of land in the country's seven regions.
The signing of the agreements for the implementation of the seven irrigation schemes was witnessed by President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the climax of the week-long 19th Farmers' Agricultural show in Mbeya region.
Speaking before the signing of the agreements, the Minister for Agriculture, Hussein Bashe, said irrigation schemes to be implemented in the seven paddy producing regions will boost production of the crop to 97,300 tons annually.
He said the construction of the irrigation schemes will go in tandem with the construction of dams for domestic and livestock use.
