Cooperative, insurance and financial institutions to begin registration of tobacco farmers in TZ
The agreement was reached during a working session held recently in Dodoma, aimed at improving agricultural insurance services and ensuring farmers are protected from potential disasters that may affect production
DODOMA, September 23, 2025 –The Tanzania Cooperative Development Commission [TCDC], the Tanzania Federation of Cooperatives [TFC], the Tanzania Insurance Regulatory Authority [TIRA], the Tanzania Agricultural Insurance Consortium [TAIC], financial institutions, and other stakeholders in the tobacco crop insurance value chain, working in collaboration with district commissioners in the Tabora Region, have agreed to immediately begin registering tobacco farmers ahead of the new planting season.
The agreement was reached during a working session held recently in Dodoma, aimed at improving agricultural insurance services and ensuring farmers are protected from potential disasters that may affect production.
Speaking at the meeting, Dr Benson Ndiege, Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of TCDC, said that through the registration exercise, data on farmers will be collected and stored for the benefit of insurance companies, financial institutions, and the farmers themselves. He noted that the data would help determine the exact number of farmers and enable better coordination of services.
“We will begin this registration with the tobacco crop, and later extend it to all crops overseen by TCDC. We will ensure the process starts promptly, before the tobacco farming season begins,” said Ndiege.
He added that agricultural insurance is now a necessity, as it protects farmers in the event of unforeseen calamities. The government, he emphasised, is committed to ensuring that every farmer has crop insurance.
On his part, Dr Khamis Mkanachi, the District Commissioner of Urambo, said that registering farmers is both an urgent and essential task, as, without it, the identification and legitimacy of farmers remain unclear.
He explained that completing the registration would help curb malpractice, such as tobacco smuggling, as any farmer who receives a loan from a bank via a cooperative society will be required to sell their tobacco through that cooperative, thereby promoting accountability and traceability.
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