In efforts to ensure that the growth of the
country’s income is felt by the ordinary citizens, the government is
currently implementing measures to improve the sectors which directly
involve people in rural areas such as agriculture, infrastructures and
transport.
Finance Minister Dr William Mgimwa said this yesterday in Dar es Salaam during a press conference to brief journalists on the activities of his ministry.
Mgimwa said that the country’s income has grown by 7.5 per cent in between January to March this year compared to last years’ growth of 6.9 per cent and 6.4 per cent in 2011.
The Minister said that per capita income also increased to 1,025,038/- equivalent to 75 per cent last year compared to 770,464.3 in 2010.
He noted that the government has discovered that Communication, construction, finance and transportation sectors were leading in income growth, but they benefit only a few ordinary people in rural areas.
The government has directed its energies to the improvement of agricultural sector, improvement of infrastructures in rural areas to ensure reliable transportation and access to energy in remote areas.
He said among the initiatives taken by the government to empower people in rural areas was the reduction of taxes and levies of agricultural facilities and inputs to make them affordable to farmers, reduction of cost of connecting to power services in the areas and the improvement of roads infrastructures to ease transportation of products from farms to the markets.
“At least 75 per cent of people in rural areas do not benefit from the growing country’s income, we need to improve the sectors that directly touch their lives so they can benefit from the growing of the economy compared to people in urban areas,” he said.
However, speaking on the country’s debt, of USD 16.4bn the minister said it was at manageable levels.
He said the government has managed to bring inflation to 6.7 per cent in August this year, from the high 19.8 per cent in December 2011.
Finance Minister Dr William Mgimwa said this yesterday in Dar es Salaam during a press conference to brief journalists on the activities of his ministry.
Mgimwa said that the country’s income has grown by 7.5 per cent in between January to March this year compared to last years’ growth of 6.9 per cent and 6.4 per cent in 2011.
The Minister said that per capita income also increased to 1,025,038/- equivalent to 75 per cent last year compared to 770,464.3 in 2010.
He noted that the government has discovered that Communication, construction, finance and transportation sectors were leading in income growth, but they benefit only a few ordinary people in rural areas.
The government has directed its energies to the improvement of agricultural sector, improvement of infrastructures in rural areas to ensure reliable transportation and access to energy in remote areas.
He said among the initiatives taken by the government to empower people in rural areas was the reduction of taxes and levies of agricultural facilities and inputs to make them affordable to farmers, reduction of cost of connecting to power services in the areas and the improvement of roads infrastructures to ease transportation of products from farms to the markets.
“At least 75 per cent of people in rural areas do not benefit from the growing country’s income, we need to improve the sectors that directly touch their lives so they can benefit from the growing of the economy compared to people in urban areas,” he said.
However, speaking on the country’s debt, of USD 16.4bn the minister said it was at manageable levels.
He said the government has managed to bring inflation to 6.7 per cent in August this year, from the high 19.8 per cent in December 2011.
SOURCE:
THE GUARDIAN
