DAR ES SALAAM, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania plans to irrigate 1.2 million hectares by 2025, the Minister for Agriculture Hussein Bashe told parliament on Tuesday.

Bashe said the government through the Tanzania Irrigation Commission is implementing an ambitious program aimed at improving irrigation farming in the east African nation.

He said irrigation farming coverage will be increased from 727,280.6 hectares in 2021/2022 to 822,285.6 hectares in 2022/2023.

Bashe unveiled plans to expand irrigation farming when he tabled his ministry's budget estimates for the 2022/2023 financial year that runs from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023.

He said the National Irrigation Commission has planned to build 25 new irrigation schemes covering 53,234 hectares during the 2022/2023 financial year.

He told the House that the Commission will also construct 14 dams for harvesting water with a total capacity of 131,535,000 cubic meters for irrigating 23,484 hectares. - Xinhua